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MIDDLE STATES, 

NEW YORK, NEW JERSEY, PENNSYLVANIA, 
DELAWARE, AND MARYLAND. 




ILLUSTRATED BY 

TALES, SKETCHES AND ANECDOTES. 

WITH NUMEROUS ENGRAVINGS. 

Br LAMBERT LILLY/<feliooBfttAS'^^R^^ 

BOSTON: 
PUBLISHED BY ALLEN & TICKNOR. 

1833. 






Entered according to Act of Congress, in the year 1833, by 

S. G. Goodrich, 
in the Clerk's Office of the District Court of Massachusetts. 



//'/^ 



2^ 



HISTORY 



MIDDLE STATES, 

NEW YORK, NEW JERSEY, PENNSYLVANIA, 
DELAWARE, AND MARYLAND. 






PREFACE. 



This work being one of a series, it may be proper 
to insert here the preface to the first of them, en- 
titled The Story of the American Revolution, which 
explains the plan and design of the author. 

" In this little work, the author has attempted to relate the story 
of our glorious Revolution, in a simple manner, so that it may be 
interesting and instructive to children and youth. He has not 
adopted a very regular method of treating the subject, but has 
attempted to keep the interest of the pupil constantly alive, by a 
variety of tales, anecdotes and sketches, illustrative of the events 
with which they are connected. 

'' It is remarkable, that very few books of history are read by 
children, except as a task 5 while works of fiction are perused with 
the greatest avidity. Now, if fiction borrows its chief interest from 
its resemblance to truth, how is this fact to be accounted 'for ? I 
think it may be explained by two considerations. In the first 
place, fiction, being the offspring of the imagination, is generally 
written with a warmth of language which makes the reader realize 
every part of the story, and cheats him, against his better knowl- 
edge, into the persuasion that the narrative is true. On the con- 
trary, the writing of history is a task calculated to repress all vi- 
vacity of feeling ; research must take the place of invention, and 
fancy must act in humble subserviency to facts, dates and records. 
Under such circumstances, dulness creeps into the mind of the 
writer, and is thus imparted to the book. 

'' For these reasons, in most books, fiction wears the aspect of 
truth, and truth the aspect of fiction. Children are excellent judges 
of manner, and are very much affected by it. They will listen 
with much more interest to an indifferent story, happily told, than 
to a good one stupidly related. They, as well as people of mature 
age, are more attracted by a novel, or romance, written in a lively 
and natural style, than by the most important history, if composed 
in a dull and heavy manner. 

" A second consideration, which will account for the preferenc.e 
given to tales of fiction, is this : — They are generally much more 



() PREFACE. 

minute in their details than books of history. Tlie latter tell us of 
armies and nations, while the former present to us individuals, 
and acquaint us with their thoughts and feelings, their hopes and 
fears, their joys and sorrows, and thus make us sympathize with 
them in all the vicissitudes to which they are exposed. It is this 
minuteness of detail which forms one of the principal charms in 
books of fiction 5 it is the comprehensiveness of books of history, 
which makes them repulsive to juvenile readers, who are always 
seeking for amusement. 

'' Such being the views of the writer of the present volume, he 
has adopted a method in some respects new. If he has occasion 
to state that a battle occurred, he states it in few w^ords, and then 
relates anecdotes, individual adventures, and other minute circum- 
stances, calculated to fix the attention of the pupil, to excite his 
interest, and thus make him realize the whole scene, as if he were 
himself an actor in it. 

" By this means, and by adopting a familiar style, the author 
hopes he has succeeded in imparting to this little work some of the 
attractive qualities which belong to tales of fiction. Nothing, cer- 
tainly, is more desirable, than tliat truth should be the basis of early 
education ; and whoever shall succeed in rendering history inter- 
esting and agreeable to youth, will perform a task for which he 
will deserve the thanks of the age. That the author has fully suc- 
ceeded in this attempt, he cannot pretend to hope ; but, deeply 
convinced of the importance of the object he has in view, he has 
made the present experiment, and leaves the result to the decision 
of the public. 

'' If this volume is favorably received, it will be followed by a 
series of works on American history, executed in a similar man- 
ner. The subjects proposed are the following- -.' — the Early His- 
tory of New England; the Early History of the Middle States; 
the Early History of the Southern States ; the History of the West- 
ern States ; the History of the West Indies ; the History of Mexi- 
co ; the Early History of South America ; and the History of Dis- 
coveries in America. These volumes, if published, will be abun- 
dantly illustrated by engravings, and will appear at intervals of 
two or three months. 

^' The materials for these works are abundant, and in the high- 
est degree interesting. The design of the author will be to em- 
brace the entire history of the Western Continent in the series, 
and thus furnish a set of books, which may be put into the hands 
of youth, as works of amusement, but which will instruct them 
fiilly in the history of their own country, and in that also of other 
countries in the same hemisphere." 

The four first works above mentioned, as well as 
the History of the American Revolution, are already 
published, and the others will soon appear. 



CONTENTS 



CHAPTER I.— Plan of the followini? Volume.— The Middle States. First 
Patent of New Jersey. First Settlement of it. History of its early Gov- 
ernment. Account of several Expeditions of Settlers. Anecdote of King 
Charles I. Interviews and Treaties of the Settlers with the New Jersey 
Indians. Speech of a Sachem about the Small-pox 9 

CHAPTER II.— Another Conference of the New Jersey Settlors with tho 
Indians. Speech of a Sachem about Whiskey. Extracts from the Set- 
tlers' Letters to their Friends in England. Account of the Fruits, Fowl, 
Fish and other Productions of the Country. Anecdotes of the Indians. 
Another large. Expedition comes over from England. Growth of New 
Jersey. Condition of the Province in 176.5. Stories about Fishing. . 16 

CHAPTER III. — Pennsylvania named for William Penn. Accpimt of his 
Family. His Father, Admiral Penn. Early Education of William. Goes 
to Oxford University. Hears Q,uaker Preaching. Becomes a Ciuaker. 
Is expelled from (Joflege. Meets with Trouble at Home, and in London. 
Is tried and ini;: i-^oned. Anecdotes showing his Character. Receives a 
Charter of Pennsylvania 213 

CHAPTER IV.— Account of the first Settlement of Pennsylvania. Mr. 
Penn comes over and stays some Time in America. More Emigrants in 
lti82 and 1683. Account of the German Settlers. Of the Welsh. How 
they at first contrived to live in the Wilderness. How the Indians treated 
them, and how they treated the Indians. Story about John Chapman. 
About his Daughter. About a Wolf chasing a Deer. Letter of Mr. Penn 
to the Indians 31 

CHAPTER v.— Great Treaty between William Penn and the Indians, in 
June, 1G89. They call him their' Elder Brother.' How the Treaty was 
made, and where, and how long it was kept. Another Treaty in 1715. 
Speech of the Indian Chief Sassoonan. Story about an Indian Q,ueen 
and some Ciuaker Preachers 38 

CHAPTER VI.— Account of the Founding of Philadelphia City in the Year 
1682. How the Ground was laid out. Story of the first Discovery of this 
Spot. How the first Settlers in Philadelphia were accommodated with 
Lodgings. The first House built. The first Child born. Penny-Pot. 
The Blue-Anchor Tavern, Letter of Mr. Penn about the City, in 1683. 
to a Friend in England 43 

CHAPTER VII. — Anecdotes of the early Pennsylvania Settlers in the 
back Woods. How they carried on their Farming. How they sometimes 
procured Food, Story about killing Pigeons. Letter of Richard Towns- 
end to a Friend in England, The first Meeting-House erected. The first 
Corn-Mill, A Bull used for a Beast of Burden. Story about catching a 
Deer. Remarks on the Character of the early Settlers 48 

CHAPTER VIII. — Some other Anecdotes of the Pennsylvania Indians. 
How they wen; unjustly suspected of Hostility by the Whites, in 1688; 
and how the Whites were horribly frightened about Nothing. Story about 
the lame Indian King. War at last breaks out, in 1754, The Occasion 
of it. Some of the Tribes continue peaceable. Injustice done to these 
friendly Tribes. Horrible Massacre at Lancaster. End of the Pennsyl- 
vanian History 54 

CHAPTER IX,— Commencement of the earlyliistory of NewYork, The 
River Hudson discovered. Some Account of Henry Hudson, The Dutch 
foMii Sottlemont'^ in New York, Di^;pute between them and the English. 
War with tlie English. War with the Indians, (luarrels with the Con- 
necticut Setticr.-i. (Jovernor Van Twillcr. Kieft, the second Governor, 
comes pretty neiir liaving his Brains blown o\it. Anecdotes. ... 59 

CHAPTER X,— Story about an Englisli Criminal, harbored by the Dutch. 
Other Disturbances between then» and the English, Great Battle be- 
tween l!ic Imlians and Dutch. Peter Stuyvesant, the third Governor of 
New York. Ho meets with many Vexations in his (Jovernment. His 
Letter sent to Holland in 1660. War v.'ith the English. The English con- 
<luor and take Possession of New York. Stcryabout Captain Manning. 67 



» CONTENTS. 

CHAPTER XI.— Some Account of the New York Indians. The Five 
Nations. The Policy observed towards them by the English of New York 
and the French of Canada. Anecdotes of their Wars with the French. 
Battle between the Senecas and French. The Five Nations invade Can- 
ada. Occasion of this Movement. Story of the Dinondadie Sachem, 
Adario • 76 

CHAPTER XII. — How Governor Frontenac treats the Indian Prisoners. 
Sends some of them Home. Treatv between New York and the Five 
Nations in 1689. Treaty with the New England Colonies, made at Al- 
bany. Speech of Tahajadoris. Indian Mode of doing Business at a 
Council. Result of the Council. Five Nations refuse to fight the eastern 
Tribes. They encourage the New York People to fight the French. 83 

CHAPTER XIII.— Some of the Five Nations send Messengers to Albany, 
to invite the English to attend ,an Indian Council with the French. Mes- 
sengers are sent by the English. Council opens on the 22d of January, 
1690. Speeches of Sadekanaghtie, and other Sachems. The French 
Messengers go back to Canada disappointed. The Council breaks up. 
Anecdotes. Indian Customs 93 

CHAPTER XI v.— The French send an Expedition against the NeAV York 
People. How they surprised and sacked Schenectady in the Night-time. 
Terrible Havoc made of the English. Story about Captain Glen. The 
Indians condole with the English for this Loss. Speech of a Sachem. 
War-parties are sent out in Pursuit of the French 104 

CHAPTER XV.— The Five Nations invade Canada. The English also fit 
out an Expedition against Montreal. Defence of that Place by the 
French. Battle between the English, French and Indians. Second Bat- 
tle. Other Anecdotes of the War. Hunting Beaver. Another French 
Invasion of New York. Result of it. The Indians invade Canada a^ain, 
under Black Kettle 110 

CHAPTER XVI. — How Governor Frontenac revenged himself against the 
Five Nations, by burning two Indian Prisoners. Distress of the Canadi- 
ans. Another 1 rench Expedition against the Mohawks. They surprise 
one of the Mohawk Forts. Take Possession of another after a Battle. 
The Mohawks enraged against the Eng'lish. The English pursue the 
French. Anecdotes of this Expedition. Result of it 118 

CHAPTER XVII.—Account of the Indian Mode of Travelling and En- 
camping in the Winter. Indian Council at Albany in 1693. Presents 
given to the Mohawks by the English. Another French Expedition in 
1696. How the Troops travelled through the Wilderness. A Seneca 
deserts from their Army. How Governor Frontenac was carried in a 
Chair. An old Indian burned and tortured. Result of the Expedition. 
Anecdotes 125 

CHAPTER XVIII.— The earlv Settlement of Delaware by the Swedes. 
How this Settlement came to be made. . Where it was made, and when. 
Account of the first Expeditions of Emigrants. About the Delaware In- 
dians, and their Dealings with the Swedes. About the natural Produc- 
tions of the Country. Other Anecdotes of the first Settlement. End of 
the Delaware History 133 

CHAPTER XIX.— The first Settlement of Maryland owing to the Exer- 
tions of Sir George Calvert. Some Account of Calvert. Anecdotes. He 
commences a Colony at Newfouridland, in 1621. Progress of it. Aban- 
donment of it. He visits Virginia. How the Virginians treated him. 
Visits Ne^vfoundland again. Gets a. Charter of Blaryland. Why the 
Province was so named. Death of Sir George. The Settlement com- 
menced by his Sons. , 138 

CHAPTER XX.— First Expedition of Emigrants to Maryland, in 1633. 
Arrive at Point Comfort. Ascend the River Potomac. Meet with In- 
dians. Anecdote of Captain Fleet. Indian Chief goes on board the Ves- 
sels. Settlement made at St. Mary's. Stories about the Indians. About 
Governor Harvey, of Virginia. About the King of Patuxent. Prosperity 
of the Colony 143 

CHAPTER XXI.— How the Land bought of the Indians was divided 
among the Settlers of Maryland. Trouble which Governor Calvert had 
with Captain Clayborne. Occasion of it. The Captain's Vessel seized 
by the Governor. He and his Lieutenant tried and condemned for Piracy. 
1 he Lieutenant hanged. The Captain runs away. Anecdotes, Close 
of the Maryland History. End of the Work 150 



HISTORY 



MIDDLE STATES. 



CHAPTER I. 

•i 

Plan of the following Volume. — The Middle States. 
First Patent of JVeiv Jersey. Fii'st Settlement of it. 
History of its early Government. Account of several 
Expeditions of Settlers. Anecdote of King Charles I. 
Interviews and Treaties of the Settlers loith the JVew 
Jersey Indians. Speech of a Sachem about the Small- 
pox. 

Having heretofore given my young readers 
some account of the early settlement of New Eng- 
land, and also of the Southern States, together with 
some other particulars in the early annals of those 
sections of the country in which we live, I now pro- 
pose to furnish them with the means of becoming 
equally well acquainted with the history of what are 
called the Middle States. 

Under this title are commonly included New 
York, Pennsylvania, Delaware, New Jersey and 
Maryland. Some of these are now among the most 
important states of the Union. The two first, 



10 HISTORY OF THE MIDDLE STATES. 

indeed, stand at the head of them all, in respect to 
population, wealth and resources. No young Amer- 
ican ought to be ignorant of the early history of so 
important a part of the American nation. 

What is now New Jersey, was originally includ- 
ed with New York, in a patent or charter, granted 
by the reigning king of England, about the middle 
of the seventeenth century, to the English Duke of 
York. On the 22d of June, 166-1, the duke granted 
the former territory (New Jersey) to two English 
gentlemen of high rank. Lord Berkeley and Sir 
George Carteret. It was called New Jersey in 
honor of the latter, some of whose family came from 
the island of Jersey, near England. Philip Carteret, 
of the same family, was appointed the first governor 
of the province, in 1665. Under his administration, 
the eastern part of it was rapidly settled. In 1675, 
Lord Berkeley sold his share of the province to John 
Fenwicke ; and this gentleman visited his new 
purchase the same season. He brought over with 
him a ship-load of passengers, from London, and 
landed at a small settlement which he found already 
commenced by stragglers from various directions, on 
an inconsiderable river or creek, which runs into the 
Delaware river. He called both the place and the 
river Salem, — a name which they retain to this day. 
This was the first English ship which came to West 
Jersey ; and it was nearly two years before it was 
followed by any more. This long interval was 
occasioned by some misunderstanding between the 



HISTORY OF THE MIDDLE STATES. 11 

proprietors, which was, however, at last composed by 
the good offices of William Perm. This latter per- 
sonage (whom we shall speak of at some length 
hereafter) was soon after induced to become in- 
terested with Carteret and Fenwicke in the manage- 
ment of the new province. In 1676, it was divided 
into East and West New Jersey ; and it continued to 
be governed by two governors until 1702. The two 
governments were then surrendered to Queen Anne, 
reigning monarch of England. Ever since that time, 
they have formed but one. This was, for a long time, 
directly under the care of the crown, like the colo- 
nies of New England, instead of being absolutely 
governed by the proprietors, as was the case with 
several of the American colonies. The first settlers, 
especially of West Jersey, were chiefly Quakers, a 
sect which I shall tell you more about by and by. 
They were a singularly steady and frugal people. 
William Penn, and the other proprietors, were men 
of such a character, indeed, that settlers of bad 
habits would have found but very ill favor with them. 
They would not even use those means which were 
in those days commonly resorted to, and in similar 
cases, to induce settlers to emigrate from England. 
Instead of this, they sent a letter of caution to the 
Quakers in England, warning them to weigh the 
matter well before they thought of emigrating to 
this country. The last paragraph of this letter is 
so characteristic of the writer, William Penn, that I 
shall annex it at length : — 



12 HISTORY OF THE MIDDLE STATES. 

" This am I, William Penn, moved of the Lord 
to write unto you, lest any bring a temptation on 
themselves or others, and, in offending the Lord, 
slay their own peace. Blessed are they that can see 
and behold him, their Leader, their Orderer, their 
Conductor and Preserver, in staying and going ; 
whose is the earth and the fulness thereof, and the 
cattle upon a thousand hills. 

" We cannot but repeat our request unto you, that 
in whomsoever a desire is to be concerned in this 
intended plantation, such should weigh the thing 
before the Lord, and not headily or rashly conclude 
on any such resolve. Let them solely endeavor to 
obtain the good will and consent of their kindred 
and friends. This we have thought good to write, 
for the preventing all misunderstandings, and to de- 
clare the real truth of the matter; and so we 
recommend you all to the Lord, who is the watch- 
man of his Israel. I am your real friend and 

brother, 

"William Penn." 

Settlements, commenced in this prudent manner, 
could not but prosper. On the 16th day of Au- 
gust, 1677, the ship Kent, Gregory Marlow. master, 
arrived at New Castle from London, with a new 
supply of Quaker colonists. There were two hundred 
and thirty of them, and many of the number had 
owned good estates in England. They landed near 
Raccoon creek, on the Delaware river, where a 
small colony of Swedes had already a few buildings 



HISTORY OF THE MIDDLE STATES. 13 

erected, but quite insufficient to accommodate the 
new comers. 

This was the second arrival of an English ship 
in West Jersey. It is said of the ' Kent,^ that when 
she lay in the river Thames, in England, with the 
passengers on board, ready to sail, King Charles II. 
came along-side of her in his pleasure-barge. The 
monarch was taking his favorite amusement in 
rambling about on the water of a sunny day, with a 
few of his favorite courtiers. He observed a crowd 
of people on boa^d the Kent, and his curiosity was 
excited a little. Having ascertained that they were 
Quakers, bound for America, he gave them his 
blessing, paid the sect a compliment for their well- 
known good qualities, and rowed off, leaving them 
much pleased with his complaisance. 

Soon after their arrival in this country, a treaty 
was made for land with the Indians. This was at 
a place in the Delaware, then called Chygoe's 
island, from the name of an Indian sachem who 
lived there. It is now Burlington. The land was 
in this instance procured for little more than a ^ song,' 
as indeed it generally was, of the natives. A 
blanket was much more to them than a thousand 
acres. 

A wide tract of good land on the river, extending 
from Oldman's creek to Timber creek, was barter- 
ed to the English for thirty coats, twenty guns, 
thirty small kettles and one great one, thirty pairs 
of hose, thirty petticoats, thirty hoes, thirty bars of 
2 



14 HISTORY OF THE MIDDLE STATES. 

lead, fifteen kegs of powder, seventy knives, thirty 
Indian axes, seventy combs, sixty pairs of tobacco- 
tongs, sixty pairs of scissors, sixty looking-glasses, 
one hundred and twenty awl-blades, as many fish- 
hooks, two handfuls of red paint, one hundred and 
twenty needles, sixty tobacco-boxes, two hundred 
small bells, one hundred jews-harps, and sixty an- 
chors of rum. I give you the details, that you may 
judge of the taste of the Indians. 

Burlington was laid out in October. A straight 
line was drawn from the Delaware river, at right 
angles, for the main street. A space was marked 
out for a market-place, about midway in this line. 
Ten London settlers agreed to build on one side of 
it, and ten Yorkshire men on the other. Another 
street was marked out along the river-side, in small 
lots, by itself. The town lots were generally ten 
or eleven acres. This was considered enough for 
a house, orchard, garden and yard. Several more 
settlers came in, within a month, from Wickaco, a 
small Swedish plantation on the Delaware. The 
season was then so far spent, that the latter had 
only time to erect a kind of wigwam for their ac- 
commodation during the winter. 

The New Jersey Indians were remarkably kind 
to the new settlers, notwithstanding the attempts of 
the Swedes, or some other persons, to prejudice 
them. They were afflicted with the small-pox, it 
seems ; and a story was maliciously circulated 
among them, that the English had brought the 



HISTORY OF THE MIDDLE STATES. 15 

disease over with them, and sold it to the Indians 
in the coats and petticoats. The English had a 
conference with them at Burlington, in consequence 
of this slander ; and the Indians were, without much 
difficulty, convinced of its falsehood. 

" In my grandfather's time/' said one of the 
sachems, on this occasion, "the small-pox came. 
In my father's time, the small-pox came. And now, 
in my time, the small-pox is come." Then, stretch- 
ing his hands towards the skies, he added — " It 
came from thenceJ^ To this sentiment all the In- 
dians at the conference expressed their assent. 
Their idea seemed to be, that this terrible disease 
was a judgment of the Great Spirit, as they called 
the Deity, upon them ; and that therefore the English 
were not to be blamed for it. 

Another speaker expressed himself as follows : — 
" Our young men may speak such words as we do 
not like ; and we cannot help it. And some of your 
young men may speak such words as you do not 
like ; and you cannot help that. But we intend to live 
like brothers with you. We do not desire war : for 
in war-time we get to be only skin and bones ; and 
the meat we then eat does us no good. We hide 
ourselves in holes and corners. The sun does us 
no good. We would have a broad path for us and 
you to walk in. If an Indian lies asleep in this path, 
the Englishman shall pass by him, and do him no 
harm. If an Englishman be asleep in this path, the 
Indian shall pass by him, and say, ' He is an Eng- 



16 HISTORY OF THE MIDDLE STATES. 

lishman. He is asleep. Let him alone ; he loves 
sleep.' It shall be a plain path. There must not be 
a stump in it to hurt our feet." 



CHAPTER H. 



Another Conference of the JSCew Jersey Settlers with the 
Indians. Speech of a Sachem about Whiskey. Extracts 
from the Settlers^ Letters to their Friends in England. 
Account of the Fruits, Fowl, Fish and other Produc- 
tions of the Country. Anecdotes of the Indians. An- 
other large Expedition comes over from England. 
Growth of JVew Jersey. Condition of the Province in 
1765. Stories about Fishhig. 

Ever after the conference we have just mentioned, 
the natives were very kind to the settlers. They 
frequently sold them venison, Indian corn, peas 
and beans, fish and fowl. A second conference 
was soon held with them, for the purpose of putting 
a stop to the sale of rum, brandy, and other strong 
liquors to them, — which they themselves knew and 
acknowledged to be injurious. Eight sachems, 
and many other Indians, were present. They had 
prepared four belts of wampum, as presents to con- 
firm whatever should be agreed upon. The wam- 
pum was like that of the New England savages, 
black and white beads, made of fish-shells, and used 
as a current money among them. 



HISTORY OF THE MIDDLE STATES. 17 

One of the sachems made the following speech. 
" The strong liquor," said he, " was first sold us 
by the Dutch ; and they are blind. They had no 
eyes (meaning no prudence). They did not see 
that it hurt us. The next who came among us 
were the Swedes, who continued the sale of the 
strong liquors to us. They also were blind. They 
had no eyes. They did not see it to be hurtful for 
us to drink it. But we know it to be hurtful, al- 
though, if people will sell it to us, we are so in love 
with it, that we cannot forbear." 

" When we drink it," he continued, "it makes 
us mad. We do not know what to do. We then 
abuse one another, and throw each other into the 
fire. Seven scores of our people have been killed 
by reason of their drinking it, since the time it was 
sold us. But the people who have come among us 
now, have eyes. The cask must be sealed up. It 
shall be made fast. It shall not leak by day or by 
night, in light nor in the darkness. And we give you 
these four belts of wampum to be witnesses of this 
agreement." 

In November, another ship arrived from London, 
with sixty or seventy passengers. After this came 
the ' Flyhoat,' Captain Martha, of Burlington, in 
Yorkshire (England). This vessel had sailed from 
Hull, in the latter end of summer, with one hundred 
and fourteen passengers. 

The settlers seemed now to be universally satis- 
fied with their situation. One of them wrote to his 



18 HISTORY OF THE MIDDLE STATES. 

friend in England, in the following terms : — " It is a 
country that produceth all things for the support and 
subsistence of man, in the m.ost plentiful manner. 

" I have travelled through most of the places that 
are settled, and some that are not. I find the 
country every where apt to answer the expectation 
of the diligent. I have seen orchards laden with 
fruit to admiration, — their very limbs torn to pieces 
with the weight, — and most delicious to the taste, 
and lovely to behold. I have seen an apple-tree, 
raised from a pippin kernel, yield a barrel of ex- 
cellent cider. 

'^Peaches are in such plenty, that some people 
take their carts a peach-gathering : I could not but 
smile at the conceit of it. They are a very delicate 
fruit, and hang almost like our onions, that are tied 
on ropes. 

" I have seen and known, this summer, forty 
bushels of bold (sound) wheat raised from a bushel 
sown. From the time called May, until Michaelmas, 
we have a great store of very good wild fruits, straw- 
berries, cranberries, and whortleberries. These last 
are like our bilberries in England, but far sweeter, 
and are a wholesome fruit. 

" The cranberries are much like cherries, for 
color and bigness. They may be kept the year 
round. An excellent sauce is made of them for 
venison, turkeys and other great fowl ; and they are 
better to make tarts than either gooseberries or 
cherries. We have them brought to our houses in 



HISTORY OF THE MIDDLE STATES. 19 

great plenty by the Indians. My brother Robert 
raised as many cherries, this year, as would have 
loaded several carts. It is my judgment, by what 
I have observed, that fruit-trees, in this country, 
destroy themselves by the very weight of their 
fruits. 

" As for venison and fowls, we have great plenty. 
We have brought to our houses, by the Indians, 
seven or eight fat bucks in a day ; and sometimes we 
refuse as many more, having no occasion for them. 
Fish, too, in their season, are very plenteous. We 
have almost all sorts that are seen in England, be- 
side several sorts that are not known there : such 
are rocks [perhaps he means what we call rock-cod]. 
Such also are cat-fish, shad, ' sheep's-heads' and stur- 
geons. Then we have plenty of fowls ; as ducks, 
geese, turkeys, pheasants, partridges, and many 
other sorts, that I cannot remember, and would be 
too tedious to mention. 

" Indeed the country, take it as a wilderness, is a 
brave country, though no place will please all. But 
perhaps some of you in England will say — ' He 
writes of conveniences, and not of inconveniences :' 
In answer to which I honestly declare, there is 
some barren land, and more woods than some like 
to have on their lands. Neither will the country 
produce corn without labor ; nor cattle be got with- 
out something to buy them ; nor bread with idleness. 
In that case, it would be a brave country, indeed ; 
and you would all give it a good word, I dare say. 



20 HISTORY OF THE MIDDLE STATES. 

For my part, I like it so well, that I have no thought 
of returning to you in England, unless it may be 
to trade with you. So good bye. 

" Mahon Stacy." 

After this time, large numbers of fresh settlers, 
chiefly Quakers, continued coming to the province. 
In 1682, a ship of five hundred and fifty tons' bur- 
then arrived in West Jersey, with three hundred 
and sixty passengers. They landed between Bur- 
lington and the place where Philadelphia now stands, 
on the Jersey shore of the Delaware. In 1765, 
that is, about one hundred years from the first settle- 
ment. New Jersey contained 100,000 inhabitants. 
The proportion of the Quakers among them may 
be conjectured from the number of meeting-houses 
at that time. The Quakers had thirty-two ; the 
Presbyterians, precisely as many ; the Baptists, 
thirteen ; the Episcopalians, ten : there v/ere also 
one of the German Moravians, and ten of the Low 
Dutch, German, Swedish Lutherans and Presby- 
terians. 

The settlers about this time still continued to be 
pleased with the country ; and they had good reason 
for it. If the following account is true, and there 
is no reason for doubting it, it would seem that they 
might all have lived by fishing alone. One of the 
settlers wrote to a friend in England, that he and 
his cousin, with a few other men, undertook to 
catch herrings in the Delaware. They came into 
the shallows in great shoals, he says. The fishing 



HISTORY OF THE MIDDLE STATES. 21 

party were ill provided, for they had neither rod nor 
line. But, after the Indian fashion, they made a 
round pinfold in the flats of the river, about two 
yards over, and a foot high. A gap was left at one 
end for the fish to go in at, and bushes laid over or 
Hear this gap, so contrived as to keep them in after 
they had entered. 

When all this was doi.e, the fishermen took two 
long, slim birches, tied their tops together, and went 
away from the pinfold, about a stone's throw, up 
the river. Here they found the herrings again in 
vast multitudes. They i^ow plunged in their birches, 
and hauled them down the stream, driving the fish 
before them by the thousand. The pinfold was 
soon full of them. They then began to haul and 
drive them ashore in the same manner, as fast as 
four of them could work ; two pulling and hauling, 
and the other two stopping to breathe and rest. 
Thus, in half an hour, they filled a three-bushel 
sack with as good herrings as were ever broiled. 

We are told, about this same time, that beef and 
pork continued to be as cheap and plenty as ever. 
The green pastures began to be spotted with sheep, 
too ; and of course the farmer's table was now and 
then spotted with fine mutton. The common grass of 
the country made beef very fat. " I have killed two 
cows this season," writes one of the settlers ; " and 
I have good reason to know and believe that the 
beef is good. Besides, I have seen killed, in Bur- 



22 HISTORY OF THE MIDDLE STATES. 

lington, eight or nine fat oxen and cows on a market 
day, and all very fat." 

In 1683, Mr. Gamen Lawrie, deputy-governor 
of East Jersey, wrote in the following terms to the 
proprietors in London : " There is not a poor man 
in all the province, nor one that wants." He adds, 
that there was abundance of provision. Pork and 
beef sold at two-pence a pound. Fish and fowl, 
and all manner of creeping things from sea and 
land, were at every man's door, as it were. The 
oysters would have served the whole continent. 
Wheat went for four shillings a bushel. 

Indian wheat, as the settlers called it (meaning 
Indian corn, I suppose), sold for two shillings. It 
was considered exceedingly good food both for man 
and beast, and gave two or three hundred fold 
increase. Good cider could be drunk in any quan- 
tity, by man, woman or child, for a penny a quart ; 
a drink, made chiefly of molasses and water, sold 
for two shillings a barrel ; venison, at one shilling 
and six-pence the quarter ; eggs, at three-pence per 
dozen; vines, walnuts, peaches and strawberries 
were still plenty in the woods. On the whole, 
these good people seem to have had a comfortable 
time of it. 

The Quakers of New Jersey were always among 
the most religious as well as most industrious and 
sober of the population. Before even a house was 
built in Burlington, they constantly held their re- 



HISTORY OF THE MIDDLE STATES. 23 

ligious meetings under a sail-cloth tent. From 
this tent they moved next into John Woolston's 
house, which was the first erected in Burlington. 
The next was one Thomas Gardiner's. It was 
several years before the first meeting-house was 
erected. 



CHAPTER III. 



Pennsylvania named for William Penn. Account of his 
Family. His Father, Admiral Penn. Early Educa- 
tion of William. Goes to Oxford University. Hears 
Quaker Preaching. Bei^omes a Quaker. Is expelled 
from College. Meets with Trouble at Home, and in 
London. Is tried and imprisoned. .Anecdotes showing 
his Character. Receives a Charter of Pennsylvania. 

The state of Pennsylvania was so named for 
William Penn, whom we have already mentioned, 
but whose history now becomes more important. 
He was a chief promoter of the first settlement, and 
may justly be called the father of the province. 

William Penn was born in London, October 14th, 
1644. He was the son of Sir William Penn. This 
gentleman was remarkably fond of maritime and 
military affairs from his childhood up. He was 
made captain at the age of twenty-one ; rear- 
admiral of Ireland at twenty-three, and vice-admiral 
at twenty-five ; rear-admiral of England at thirty- 
one ; and general in the first Dutch war at thirty- 
two. 



24 HISTORY OF THE MIDDLE STATES. 

He was afterwards elected a member of parlia- 
ment for the town of Weymouth ; and in 1660 
he was governor of the town and fort at Kingsail. 
Four years after, he was appointed great captain- 
commander, under the Duke of York, in which 
capacity he distinguished himself very honorably 
on the occasion of a famous naval victory over 
the Dutch. King Charles 11. knighted him, after 
his own restoration to the throne. He became 
also a peculiar favorite of James, Duke of York, 
who, on his death-bed, warmly recommended 
the admiral to the kind remembrance of his son. 
Mr. Penn died in 1670, leaving, with his blessing, a 
large estate to his son William. He had been 
greatly oifended with him for joining the Quakers, 
but became reconciled in the last years of his 
life. 

The young man was endowed with good talents, 
and he made such proficiency at school, that, at 
fifteen years of age, he was entered a student at 
Christ's Church in the university of Oxford. Here, 
or a little before this time, he was more strongly 
affected by the preaching of a celebrated Quaker, 
Thomas Loe. He withdrew fi-om the worship of 
the Church of England, with a few other students. 
They held private meetings in the college, where 
they prayed and preached among themselves. This 
conduct gave great offence to the college-govern- 
ment. They began with fining Penn, who was 
then but sixteen years old, for non-conformity ; and 



HISTORY OF THE MIDDLE STATES. 25 

finding him still incorrigible in his own faith and 
practices, they expelled him from the college. 

He then returned home. There he continued to 
prefer the religious society of his newly-adopted 
sect. His father considered this disposition a mis- 
fortune, if not a fault. The admiral knew but 
little, perhaps, of the particular doctrines of the 
Quakers, and cared less about them ; but he thought 
that his son's manner of life would be a great 
obstacle in the way of his preferment at court. 

He set himself, therefore, to persuade the young 
man of his errors, as he called them. Finding all 
his arguments ineffectujjl, he had recourse to the 
infliction of stripes. His son was still unconvinced 
and unrepentant ; the old gentleman was become 
much incensed against him, and he turned him out 
of his house, soon afterwards, in a violent passion. 

The young Quaker behaved very well, however, 
under this displeasure of his father, whom he respect- 
ed highly, though he could not in all things obey 
him. He was at length received again to the family 
mansion. He was then sent into France, in com- 
pany with several young Englishmen of quality, 
who were setting out on their travels over that 
country. There he resided long enough, it seems, 
to forget his Quaker instructions and impressions in 
a great degree. He returned with a perfect knowl- 
edge of the French language, as gallant and ac- 
complished a young gentleman as any in the king- 
dom. His father was delighted with what he con- 
3 



26 HISTORY OF THE MIDDLE STATES. 

sidered his reformation. But, at about the age of 
twenty, his religious impressions were revived by 
the preaching of the Quakers, and, perhaps, returned 
with new strength. He became more zealous in 
that faith than ever. In Ireland, where his father 
sent him, two years afterwards, to manage one of 
his estates, he met again with his old acquaintance, 
Mr. Loe. This gentleman was preaching to a 
congregation of Quakers at the city of Cork ; and 
young Penn now found himself accommodated with 
religious services to his heart's content. 

At one of these religious meetings in Cork, in 
the year 1667, he, with several other young men, 
was apprehended and carried before a magistrate, 
the Quakers being much persecuted at that time. 
The magistrate observed that Penn was handsomely 
dressed. He, at this date, wore neither the hat nor 
the coat of his sect, and had nothing of the Quaker 
about him, but perhaps in his countenance. The 
magistrate offered to set him at liberty, on his giving 
bonds for his good behavior. This he refused to 
do, and, with eighteen of his associates, he was 
thrown into prison. 

He had contracted an acquaintance with the 
Irish nobility, during his residence in the country, 
which now proved of service to him. He wrote to 
the Earl of Orrery. He informed that gentleman, 
in warm terms, of his punishment and his innocence, 
and the earl immediately procured his discharge. 

But his imprisonment was far enough from con- 



HISTORY OF THE MIDDLE STATES. 27 

vincing him that his religion was wrong. He 
embraced it, and associated with his fellow Quakers^ 
more ardently than ever. This term was at that 
time a word of reproach ; and Penn, accordingly, 
became the butt of the ridicule and wit of his old 
acquaintances. A nobleman, who knew both him 
and his father, now wrote an account of his situa- 
tion to the latter. He was sent for to return home, 
and obeyed the request. 

The admiral found him more inveterate than 
ever in his duaker principles. He had at this 
period, it seems, assumed the Quaker habit of 
keeping his head covered on all occasions. The 
admiral felt as if he could have borne any thing 
but this. He said as much to the young man ; and 
promised to give him his own way in every thing 
else, if he would uncover his head only in the 
presence of the King, the Duke of York, and 
himself 

He wished him to think seriously of this proposal, 
without consulting about it with his Quaker friends. 
His son assured him he would weigh the matter, 
alone, as he wished. He retired to his own chamber, 
and there fasted and prayed till he had made up 
his mind for the worst. He then returned to his 
father, and assured him, firmly but respectfully, 
that his conscience would not suffer him to comply 
with his wishes in regard to the matter of taking 
off his hat. 

The admiral was terribly enraged with him. 



28 HISTORY OF THE MIDDLE STATES. 

He turned him from his doors again, and compelled 
him for some time to depend for subsistence on the 
private relief of his mother, and the charity of his 
other relations. But the old gentleman being 
convinced, after a while, that his son's conduct was 
governed by principle, whether right or wrong, and 
not by mere passion, he suffered his return to the 
family. He did not countenance his practices 
openly ; but, whenever his son was imprisoned for 
attending meetings, as he often was, he procured 
his discharge privately, and said nothing about it. 

The young man was all this time preparing him- 
self for the ministry. In 1664, in his twenty-fourth 
year, he began to preach, and to write for the press. 
He soon entered into a warm dispute with one Vin- 
cent, of London, a Presbyterian, and attacked him in 
a pamphlet ; the consequence was his own imprison- 
ment in the Tower of London, for his severe stric- 
tures on the doctrines of the Church of England. 
Here, even his relations were not permitted to visit 
him. 

But his enemies gained very little by confining 
him, for he continued to write in the Tower, as be- 
fore. His servant was at last sent to him, with 
information tliat the bishop of London was resolved 
he should either recant publicly, or die a prisoner. 
His reply illustrates his character better than any 
thing which could be said of him : " All is well," 
he observed ; " thou mayst tell my father, who, 
I know, will ask thee my words, that my prison 



HISTORY OF THE MIDDLE STATES. 29 

shall be my grave, before I will budge one jot. 
I owe my conscience to no mortal man, and I have 
no need to fear. God will make amends for all." 

He was liberated in the year 1669. In the fall 
of that season, he visited Ireland again, to manage 
his father's estate. Here he met with his old friends, 
the Quakers, once more, and preached to them at 
Dublin and Cork. Some of them were confined in 
prison ; and he used his influence with the chancel- 
lor and lord-lieutenant of Ireland to procure their 
release. 

In 1670, the Quakers were forbidden to meet, 
by law, under severe penalties. They were kept 
out of their meeting-house in Grace-Church street, 
in London, by main force. They then met in the 
street as near the church as possible, and Mr. Penn, 
who had returned to England, took occasion to 
preach to them. He was apprehended by the police, 
and committed to Newgate prison. At the next 
session of the court, called the Old Bailey, he was 
tried for getting up a ' seditious and riotous assembly,' 
as the Quaker meeting was termed. Mr. Penn 
defended himself, and with such eloquence and such 
a noble and fearless confidence in himself and his 
cause, that, in spite of the frowns of the judges, the 
jury acquitted him, and he was again set free. 

In December of the same year, he was once 

more seized by a party of soldiers, while he was 

peaceably preaching at a meeting in London. He 

was brought before the lieutenant of the Tower, 

8* 



30 HISTORY OF THE MIDDLE STATES. 

to be tried or questioned. His answers, and his 
defence of himself and his sect, were so spirited 
as almost to alarm and confound the lieutenant. 
The latter charged him with being as bad as other 
people. '' / make this bold challenge to all men upon 
earth^"^ answered Penn, *' to testify that they ever 
saw me drunk, or heard me swear, utter a curse, or 
use a profane word. Your icords are your own 
shame, sir. I trample your slander, as dirt, under 
my feet" 

The lieutenant only replied by sending him to 
Newgate again for six months. After this he trav- 
elled over Holland and Germany. He married in 
1672 ; still continuing to preach and write. In 1676, 
he became concerned, as we have seen, in the New 
Jersey colony. After travelling again on the con- 
tinent, he returned to England : and, in 16S0, pe- 
titioned King Charles II. for a grant of land in 
America. It seems there was a large sum of money 
due to Admiral Penn, at his death, from the gov- 
ernment. 

Penn was in favor at court, too, as his father had 
been before him. His petition was received gra- 
ciously ; and the next year, on the 4th of March, a 
royal charter was granted him, which made him 
absolute proprietor of all that tract of land now 
called Pennsylvania, and containing twenty-six mil- 
lions of acres. 



HISTORY^ OF THE MIDDLE STATES. 31 



CHAPTER IV. 

Account of the first Settlement of Pennsylvania. Mr. 
Penn cojnes over and stays some Time in America. 
More Emigrants in 1682 and 1683. Account of the 
German Settlers. Of the Welsh. How they at first 
contrived to live in the Wilderness. How the Indians 
treated them, and how they treated the Indians. Story 
about John Chapman. About his Daughter. About a 
Wolf chasing a Deer. Letter of Mr. Penn to the 
Indians. 

Three ships sailed for Pennsylvania during the 
year 1681. The John and' Sarah, from London, 
was the first which arrived there. The Amity, from 
the same port, was blown off to the West Indies, and 
did not arrive until the next spring. The Bristol 
Factor anchored at the place where Chester now 
stands, on the 11th of December. There the pas- 
sengers, seeing some houses, went on shore, at 
Robert Wade's Landing, near the lower side of 
Chester creek. The river freezing up the same 
night, they remained there over winter. 

Mr. Penn himself came over the next year, in 
the ship Welcome. A hundred Quakers came with 
him, many of whom were taken sick with the small- 
pox on their passage. They had a voyage of six 
weeks, and the first land they approached was Egg 
Harbor in New Jersey. In passing up the Dela- 
ware, Mr. Penn was welcomed by all classes of 



32 HISTORY OF THE MIDDLE STATES. 

people, English, Dutch and Swedes, with demon- 
strations of great joy. He landed at Newcastle on 
the 24th of October. 

Twenty-three vessels arrived, within the space 
of the first year, with English colonists. The banks 
of the Delaware, from Trenton falls down to Ches- 
ter, were very rapidly peopled. In 1682, and the 
year after, over fifty sail more came over, with set- 
tlers from various parts of England, Ireland, Wales, 
Holland and Germany. Those who came from 
Germany, like a majority of the others, indeed, 
were Quakers. They had been converted to this 
faith by the preaching of one Ames, an Englishman, 
and were among the first Quakers in Germany. 
They settled seven miles from what is now Phila- 
delphia, at a place still called Germantown. 

The Welsh colonists had bought 40,000 acres 
of land of Mr. Penn, before leaving England. 
They now selected it on the west side of the 
Schuylkill, where they at once settled three town- 
ships, and afterwards three more. Most of them 
were men of excellent character, and, accordingly, 
no colonists in the whole province met with better 
success. 

The settlers of Pennsylvania were hardly so for- 
tunate as their countrymen in New Jersey, in all 
respects. They were several times alarmed by a 
scarcity of provisions, the natural consequence of 
peopling a perfect wilderness so rapidly. The 
whole province, with the exception of a tract two 



HISTORY OF THE MIDDLE STATES. 33 

miles from the Delaware, was a desert covered with 
woods, and producing nothing but wild fruits and 
wild animals. 

The lodgings of some of the settlers were, at first, 
in the woods. The trunk of a hollow tree was fre- 
quently all the shelter they had, for weeks, against 
the inclemency of the weather. This sometimes 
happened late in the fall, and even in the winter 
season. The next coverings of many of them were 
either caves in the earth, or such huts erected upon 
it as could be most expeditiously procured, until better 
houses were built. This, indeed, might be soon 
done, for there was no want of timber. 

But there were many favorable circumstances in 
their situation, after all. They had to labor some 
years to procure themselves a comfortable settlement. 
But then the soil, once cleared of its heavy growth 
of forest, proved to be fertile. The air was clear 
and healthy ; the streams of water good and plenti- 
ful ; wood for fire and building in abundance. There 
were no roads or paths in the woods more than two 
miles from the water side. As to the Indians, they 
seldom travelled so regularly as to be traced and 
followed by footsteps, excepting, perhaps, from one 
of their towns to another. 

The Indians were friendly to the settlers of this 
province, as to those of New Jersey. For a long 
time, the house of one John Chapman was farther 
back in the woods than any other English settle- 
ment. The Indians were then in the habit of fre- 



34 HISTORY OF THE MIDDLE STATES. 

quenting his house in large companies, and were 
very kind to him and his family, and to those who 
came after him. They brought in corn, too, and 
other provisions. 

In one of the scarce times I have mentioned, Mr. 
Chapman's oldest daughter, Mary, supplied his fam- 
ily by an unexpected good fortune. She had some 
occasion to go into the woods, as the settlers' daugh- 
ters often had, in those days. Being near Kesha- 
ming creek, which runs into the Delaware, she 
heard an unusual noise, like that of something in 
distress. Upon search, she found a large buck (or 
male deer). He was standing under the high bank 
of the creek, whither he had fled for safety from a 
wolf. The animal stood still. She took the hal- 
ter from the horse she was riding, and raised it over 
the deer's horns with a stick. Thus she secured 
him, till assistance came. The wolf had followed 
the buck within a few rods ; but he now retired 
peaceably, and the poor frightened animal was 
carried off in triumph. 

This same Chapman had two twin sons, named 
Abraham and Joseph. When about nine or ten 
years old, they went out, one evening, to look for their 
father's cattle in the woods. They met an Indian, 
who told them by all means to turn back ; it was 
growing dark, he said, and they would be lost. 
They went on a little farther, but soon concluded 
to take the Indian's advice. It was quite late in the 
evening when they reached home, and there they 



HISTORY OF THE MIDDLE STATES. 35 

found the Indian before them. He had felt so 
anxious about their safety, it seemed, that he could 
not forbear going to the cottage of Chapman, to 
inquire for them. He expressed a great deal of 
satisfaction in seeing them safe home. 

Such, generally, was the interest which these 
simple natives took in the welfare of the settlers. 
Not long after the time just spoken of. Chapman and 
his wife attended a yearly meeting of the Quakers 
at Philadelphia (of the building of which place we 
shall soon speak). They left a young and rather 
large family at home ; and the Indians came every 
day, during their absence, to see that every thing 
went right with the young people, and to bring them 
provisions enough to support them comfortably till 
their parents returned. 

You may wonder at this kindness of the Indians, 
especially when you remember, as I dare say you 
will, how differently they were disposed towards the 
settlers in some other provinces. I may as well tell 
you now, that we shall find it to be true of the other 
Middle States, generally, as well as of Pennsylvania, 
that the Indians were treated more prudently than 
in the southern or northern colonies. One reason 
might be, that several of those states were settled at 
a later period, when the Indian character was better 
understood, and the English had the benefit of some 
experience in treating and trading with them. In 
New York, which was settled first, the savages 
were, as we shall find, somewhat troublesome. The 



36 HISTORY OF THE MIDDLE STATES. 

Dutch, who settled that province, took no pains, if 
they had known how, to conciliate the good will of 
the Indians. But much credit is also due, both in 
Pennsylvania and Jersey, to the care and peaceable 
good conduct of the Q-uakers. Hence the duakers 
were ever afterwards great favorites with the Indians. 
Still more particularly is credit due, in the history 
of the former province, to Mr. Penn, its proprietor. 
He treated the Indians, from the beginning, with 
entire good faith, and sincere and most honorable 
friendship. This will appear from his letter to them, 
which he sent from London, in 1681, by the first of 
his settlers. You will find it worth reading, for its 
simplicity and kindness, as well as for its quaintness 
of expression : — 

'' My Friends : 

" There is a great God, that hath made 
the world, and all things therein ; to whom you and 
I, and all people, owe their being, and well-being ; 
and to whom you and I must one day give an ac- 
count for all that we do in the world. 

" This great God hath written his law in our 
hearts, by which we are commanded and taught to 
love, and help, and do good to one another. Now, 
this good Being hath been pleased to make me con- 
cerned in your part of the world ; and the great 
king of the country where I live hath given me a 
province among you. But I desire to enjoy it with 
your love, and that we always live together as neigh- 



mSTORY OF THE MIDDLE STATES. 0< 

bors and friends, as the great God has intended for 
all men. 

" I would have you know, moreover, that I am 
aware you have not always been treated as you should 
have been by the people of these parts of the world ; 
and so you have been angry ; and blood has been 
shed, — which kindled the anger of the Great Spirit 
also. But I am not such a man, as is well known 
in my own country. I love and regard you ; and 
I desire to gain your love by a kind, just and peace- 
able life. The people I send to you shall be of the 
same mind. If in any thing they offend or injure 
any of you, you shall have speedy satisfaction. 

" I shall come shortly to you myself, to confer 
with you on these matters. Meanwhile, I have sent 
my commissioners, to treat with you about land, and 
about a firm league of peace. Let me desire you 
to be kind to them, and to all my people. Receive 
these presents and tokens, which I have sent you 
as a testimony of my good-will to you, and my reso- 
lution to live justly, friendly and peaceably with you. 
" I am your loving friend, 

" William Penn." 
4 



38 HISTORY OF THE MIDDLE STATES. 



CHAPTER V. 

Gi'eat Treaty heiiveen William Penn and the Indians, in 
June, 1682. They call him their ^ Elder Brother.^ How 
the Treaty was made, and where, and how long it ivas 
kept. Another Treaty in 1715. Speech of the Indian 
Chief Sassoonan. Stoi'y about an Indian Queen and 
some Quaker Preachers. 

A FEW montlis after this letter was written, Mr. 
Penn himself, in June, 1682, held his first personal 
conference with the Indians, not many miles from the 
place where Philadelphia now stands. As many of 
them as possible, with their sachems and kings, 
were invited and assembled together, from aU parts 
of the province. A treaty of peace was concluded 
at this time, which was kept inviolate on both sides 
for seventy years. This treaty was confirmed by 
presents ; the Indian orators expressed their grati- 
tude, as usual ; the conference was broken up after 
a day or two, and the savages v^ent home, not only 
satisfied with the honesty, but gratified by the kind- 
ness, of Mr. Penn, whom they now began to call 
their ' Elder Brother.' 

This famous treaty was made in the open fiehJs, 
under the shade of an old wide-spread elm. This 
venerable tree was still standing at the beginning 
of the revolutionary war. Even the British troops 
revered and spared it, when they cut up every thing 
around it. It was at last blown down, I believe, by 



HISTORY OF THE MIDDLE STATES. 39 

a violent gale ; but the wood of it is preserved, to the 
present time, in the shape of boxes, bowls, cups, and 
other articles of the kind. 

In 1701, after Mr. Penn had been to England 
and returned again to America, he made a new 
treaty with the Susquehannah or Conestogoe Indians. 
These savages, like the rest of their countrymen, had 
a high respect and a strong affection for Penn. 
They came to Philadelphia this same season, in 
great numbers, for the purpose of bidding him fare- 
well, and receiving his last advice previous to his 
final departure from the province for England. 

He addressed them at that time in a long speech. 
He advised them, above all things, to abandon the 
use of strong liquors ; which they promised tp do. 
He desired them in his absence to cultivate friend- 
ship with his people. He had charged the latter, 
he said, to be kind to the Indians, as he had always 
been himself. This, he added, was, or might be, 
his last interview with them ; and he hoped they 
would show their sense of his friendship for them 
by remembering his good advice. He then made 
them generous and useful presents. They retired 
satisfied, as usual, but really affected ; some of them 
to tears, it is said, by the idea of parting with their 
ipYoteciOY and 'Elder Brother.' Since I am telling 
about the Indians, I will finish altogether what I 
have to say of them. 

Four years after the departure of Mr. Penn, one 
Thomas Chelkley, a Quaker preacher, with a few 



40 HISTORY OF THE MIDDLE STATES. 

Other members of that sect, visited the Conestogoe 
and Shawanese Indians, on the Susquehannah. 
Their object was, to teach them the truths of the 
Christian religion. The Indians received them 
with great kindness. A woman of some authority 
among them, a kind of queen, seemed to be particu- 
larly affected by the visit. This woman spoke 
so much in the councils of the tribe, that Chelkley 
took the liberty to inquire of some of the Indians 
the occasion of it. " It is because" answered they, 
** some women are wiser than some men." 

She told Chelkley that she looked upon his 
coming to be more than natural ; for " he did not 
come to buy, nor sell, nor to get gain.'* She then 
told him a dream which she had three days before. 
''She was in London," she said, " and London was 
the finest place she ever saw. There she went up 
and down six streets, and in the seventh she saw 
William Penn preaching to the people, who crowded 
about in a vast multitude. After he had done, 
she went to him. He was glad to see her, and 
promised by and by to go over to Pennsylvania, 
and preach to the poor Indians. Now," added 
she, "my dream is fulfilled. For his friends, if not 
himself, have come to us." I tell you this simple 
anecdote, to show you how long and how affection- 
ately Penn was remembered by the Indians. It 
was very natural that the good woman should dream 
about what she thought of most when awake. 

A treaty was made between Governor Gookin and 



HISTORY OF THE MIDDLE STATES. 41 

the Delaware Indians, in 1715, at Philadelphia. 
They ass;embled at the court-house, with the sa- 
chem Sassoonan at their head. The council was 
opened by the Indian's taknig out the calumet, or 
pipe of peace, with a good deal of ceremony, and a 
noise of songs and rattles. Sassoonan handed it 
to the governor. From him it passed round among 
all the English in the house, each one puffing a i^ew 
whiffs of tobacco-smoke. It was then returned to 
Sassoonan, who handed it to the Indians one after 
another. When every one of them had smoked, 
it was put away with the same ceremonies and 
songs as before, 

Sassoonan was the Indian speaker. He said, 
among other things, " They had come to renew the 
old bond of friendship. William Penn," he added, 
" had made a clear and open road for them to v, alk 
in. He desired that this road might be kept open. 
The Indians should make themselves half English, 
and the English half Indians." This shows you 
again how the Indians remembered Mr. Penn. 

He then discoursed of matters of trade. " Hither- 
to this had been like a house with two doors ; one 
for them, and another for the English, But the 
goods were placed in the dark." They were igno- 
rant, he meant to say, how they were dealt with, or 
how they ought to trade. 

He then desired that the whites and the red men 
might be as people eating all of the same dish. 
Formerly his tribe knew the prices of their own 
4* 



42 HISTORY OF THE MIDDLE STATES. 

and of the English goods. But now, they varied 
so much, he said, that there was no understanding 
them. " On this account," he added very solemnly, 
*' I am obliged to wear such ragged breeches, that 
I am ashamed to be seen. I pray that this incon- 
venience may be remedied." All these, and other 
suggestions, were confirmed in the Indian manner, 
by presents of wampum and skins ; in return for 
which the governor gave his savage friend a variety 
of handsome articles. I shall give you a list of them 
all, with the prices in the old currency, that you 
may know how they were valued in those times, 
and how liberal the Indians were : — 

45 raw fall deer-skins.... wt. 138 lbs. at 9d £5 3s. 6d. 

8 summer " .... " 16 " at 13^d 13 

53 dressed " 7 2 6 

84 whole fox-skins at 18d 6 6 

12 '' raccoons at 12d 12 

Other furs 9 



£21 lls.Od. 

And here you have a list of the English presents 
in return : — 

16 coats at 19s £15 4s. Od. 

10 duffil garments 10s. 6d 5 50 

6 blankets 13s. 4d 4 

6 shirts 8s. 6d 2 11 

50 lbs. powder 4 10 

100 lbs. lead 2 10 

12 dozen pipes 4 6 

£32 4s. 6d. 



HISTORY OF THE MIDDLE STATES. 43 



CHAPTER VI. 

Account of the Founding of Philadelphia City in the. 
Year 1682. Hoiv the Ground ivas laid out. Story of 
the first Discovery of this Spot. How the first Settlers 
in Philadelphia were accommodated with Lodgings. 
The first House built. The first Child born. Penny- 
Pot. The Blue-Anchor Tavern. Letter of Mr. Penn 
about the City, in 1683, to a Friend in England. 

Having given you some history of the Pennsyl- 
vanian Indians from the time of Mr. Penn's first 
treaty with them, chiefly with the view of showing 
you how long they remembered him, I shall now 
go back to the time of the early settlements once 
more, for the purpose of telling you about the found- 
ing of Philadelphia, and the proceedings of the set- 
tlers in the neighborhood of that place. In the 
latter part of 1682, Mr. Penn, having finished his 
first business with the Indians, undertook to lay out 
a place for a city. In this he was assisted by his 
surveyor-general, Mr. Thomas Holme. The ground 
chosen for the purpose being claimed by some 
Swedish settlers, who said they had occupied it 
before the English came, Mr. Penn bought it of 
them, giving them in exchange a large quantity of 
land at a few miles distance. My young readers are 
familiar enough with the geography of their own 
country, I dare say, to know that Philadelphia stands 
on the west bank of the Delaware river, where 
that beautiful stream is something like a mile wide. 



44 HISTORY OF THE MIDDLE STATES. 

It is one hundred and twenty miles, or nearly that 
distance, from the sea, as the Delaware runs. 
The Schuylkill, a branch of the Delaware, runs 
nearly parallel to it at this place, at the distance 
of two miles westward. It pours into the Delaware 
four miles below the city. Here its navigation for 
large vessels is obstructed by a sand-bar ; but in 
boats and small craft, iron, wheat, flour, coal, and 
other articles, are floated down to the city to a great 
amount, from the interior country. 

The situation of the ground, when Mr. Penn 
commenced his survey for a city, exhibited a de- 
lightful prospect. There was a fine, high and 
dry bank next the water, spotted with large lofty 
pines. Many of the adventurers who came before Mr. 
Penn, had their caves and holes in this same bank 
for a residence. This was before houses were built, 
or any other accommodations prepared for them. 

The first house erected on this plot of ground 
was built by a man named George Guest, and was 
still unfinished at the time of Mr. Penn's arrival. 
Several small houses were put up soon afterv/ards. 
Mr. Penn's own house, however, was built on his 
estate called Pennsburg, near the bank of the Del- 
aware, a few miles below the falls of Trenton, and 
about twenty-six above the city. This was under- 
taken before his arrival, and intended for his recep- 
tion. He afterv/ards held his conferences with the 
Indians at this house, and resided there occasion- 
ally, but not all the time. 



HISTORY OF THE MIDDLE STATES. 45 

I might have told you, that Mr. Guest's house 
was situated in what I believe is still called Budd's 
row. He kept a tavern there long afterwards, 
called the Blue Anchor^ from his sign. I have told 
you that the first settlers lived in caves. One of the 
number was John Key, who was the first child born 
of English parents in Philadelphia. His birth took 
place in a cave near Sassafras street, known many 
years after by the odd name of * Penny-Pot.' 

In the latter part of his life, Key went generally, 
in the city, by the name of the ' First-Born.' Mr. 
Penn, as a compliment, gave him, when quite young, 
a lot of ground. He died at Kennet, in Chester 
county, in July, 1767, aged eighty-four. This vil- 
lage was thirty miles from the city ; but the hardy 
old gentleman walked that distance with ease in 
one day, only six years before his death. 

The ground of Philadelphia, according to the 
original plan, extended about two miles in length, 
between the Delaware and the Schuylkill, and in 
breadth nearly a mile on each river. Nine streets 
were marked out in right lines, and parallel to each 
other, from stream to stream. These were inter- 
sected by twenty-three others, at right angles, run- 
ning nearly parallel with the rivers, north and 
south. None of them were less than fifty nor 
more than one hundred feet broad. 

Five squares were assigned in this original plan 
for the public use of the city. The largest, in the 
centre, was to contain ten acres ; and was reserved 



46 HISTORY OF THE MIDDLE STATES. 

for a State-house, market-house, school-house, and 
the chief meeting-house of the Quakers. Four 
other squares were meant to be reserved in the four 
quarters of the city, containing eight acres each. 
Except in the direction of the streets, the plan of 
Mr. Penn has been very strictly adhered to in latter 

times. I 

t 

The Indian name of the place vv^here the city < 
stands vras Coaquanock. The first we hear of it in I 
history, is in 1678. In December of that year, the « 
ship Shield, from Hull in England, arrived in the 
Delaware river, with a colony of settlers for West 
Jersey. This vessel ascended as far as Coaquanock. 
She passed by the high and bold shore I have spoken 
of, so near to it, that, in turning about, part of her 
tackling caught in the pine boughs. One of the 
passengers cried out, " Here is a Jine situation, 
indeed, for a town^ The crew went ashore, next 
morning, upon the ice ; so hard and so suddenly 
had it frozen in the space of one night. 

The building up of Philadelphia was always a 
very favorite project with Mr. Penn. It was the 
city of his own choice and charge. This is clear 
enouorh from his letters to his English friends. 
Here is an extract from one written in 1683, only 
one year after the founding of the city : — 

" I say little of the town, because the plan of it 
will be shown you by my agent. But this I will say, 
for the good providence of God, that of all the many 
places I have seen in the world, I remember not 



HISTORY OF THE MIDDLE STATES. 47 

one better seated. It seems to have been appointed 
for a town, whether we regard the rivers, or the 
conveniency of the coves, docks and springs, or the 
loftiness and soundness of the land. And the air, 
too, is held by the people of these parts to be very 
good. 

*' It is advanced, within less than a year, to about 
eighty houses and cottages, such as they are. Mer- 
chants and handicrafts are following their vocations 
as fast as they can. The countrymen are close at 
their farms. Some of them got a little winter corn 
in the ground last season. The generality have 
had a handsome summer crop, and are preparing 
for their winter corn. They reaped their barley in 
May, this year, and the wheat in June ; so thaf 
there is time, in these parts, for another crop of 
divers things, before the winter season. 

" We are daily in hopes of shipping from England, 
to add to our number. Blessed be God, there is 
both room and accommodation for them. The 
stories told of our necessities are either the false fears 
of our friends, or the scare-crows of our enemies. 
For the greatest hardship we have suffered hath 
been salt meat. And this has been made quite 
passable by the aid of fowl in winter, and fish in 
summer, together with poultry, lamb, veal, mutton 
and plenty of venison, the best part of the year." 

Mr. Penn adds, in this letter, that he had already 
set up the first saw-mill and the first tannery in the 
city. He had marked out a place also for a dock, 



48 HISTORY OF THE MIDDLE STATES. 

a glass-house, and a fishing-stand. In a word, he 
omitted nothing which could add to the comfort of 
his settlers. One would suppose, from his descrip- 
tion above quoted, that they never lacked good fare 
and enough of it. 



CHAPTER VII. 

Anecdotes of the early Pennsylvania Settlers in the hack 
Woods. How they carried on their Farming. How 
they sometimes procured Food. Story about killing 
Pigeons. Letter of Richard Tovmsend to a Friend in 
England. The first Meeting-House erected. The first 
Corn-Mill. A Bull used for a Beast of Burden. 
Story about catching a Deer. Remarks on the Character 
of the early Settlers. 

However much Mr. Penn was delighted with 
his own situation, and the growth of his favorite 
city, and however much reason he had for being 
so, the case was by no means altogether the same 
with the settlers in the back country in the same 
province. 

Some of these poor fellows were often sorely per- 
plexed to find food for their large families. But for 
the kindness of the savages, they would have suffered 
still more. For a year or two after their first settle- 
ment in any remote and desert place, these good 
people, simple and ignorant as they were, always 



HISTORY OF THE MIDDLE STATES. 49 

supplied them, as they did John Chapman's family, 
of which I have told you, with corn, venison, wild 
fruits, and other things of the kind, until the set- 
tlers were able to clear up their farms so as to 
raise good crops by the labor of their own hands. 
I say hands, because it was some time, generally, 
before a settler could afford to buy or keep a horse 
or a plough. They used hoes almost altogether, 
instead of ploughs. 

They were occasionally relieved in another man- 
ner, which seemed to them singularly providential. 
At certain seasons of the year (the berry and grain 
months, I presume), the wild pigeons came in such 
numbers among them, that the air was sometimes 
really darkened by their flight. These birds flew 
quite low, and they were actually knocked down 
as they flew, with sticks and stones, in great quan- 
tities, by those who had no better ammunition with 
which to destroy them. This supplied the poor 
settlers with fresh meat for some days ; and the 
residue, which they could not immediately use, was 
salted down, like beef or pork, for some other time. 

I shall close my sketches of the Pennsylvanian 
history with a brief description of the manner of 
an early settler's life, for the first few years after his 
arrival. It will give you a better idea of the sub- 
ject, if I take my information from some of their 
own letters. I will therefore give you the account 
of Richard Townsend, an honest old Q,uaker. The 
letters were written about the year 1727. They 
5 



50 HISTORY OF THE MIDDLE STATES. 

will be found none the less amusing, I think, for 
showing you the quaint style of the sect and the age. 

*' Whereas,'' solemnly begins Mr. Townsend, 
" King Charles II., in 1681, was pleased to grant this 
province to William Penn and his heirs forever ; 
and, this William Penn being one of the people 
called duakers, and in good esteem among them 
and others, many were inclined to embark along 
with him for the settlement of this place : 

" To that end, several ships being provided 
in 1682, I found a concern on my mind to em- 
bark with them, with my wife and child. So, 
about the latter end of the sixth month (June), 
having settled my affairs in London, where I dwelt, 
I went on board the ship Welcome, Robert Green- 
away, commander, in company with my worthy 
friend William Penn, whose good conversation 
was very advantageous to all the company. His 
care was especially manifested in contributing to the 
necessities of many who were sick of the small-pox. 

" After a prosperous voyage of about twp months, 
having had in that time many good meetings on 
board, we arrived here. At our arrival, we found it 
a wilderness. The chief inhabitants were Indians 
and some Swedes, who received us in a friendly 
manner. Although there was a great number of 
us, the good providence of God was seen in a par- 
ticular manner, in that provisions were found for us, 
by the Swedes and the Indians, at a very reason- 
able rate. 



HISTORY OF THE MIDDLE STATES. 51 

** Our first concern was to keep up our religious 
worship; and in order thereunto, we had several 
meetings in the houses of the inhabitants. One 
boarded meeting-house was set up, where the city 
was to be, near the Delaware. There, as we had 
nothing but love and good-will in our hearts, one 
to another, we had very comfortable meetings from 
time to time. After our meeting was over, we 
assisted each other in building little houses, for our 
first shelter. 

" After some time, I set up a mill on Chester 
creek, which I had brought ready framed from 
London. It served for grinding of corn and sawing 
of boards, and was of great use to us. Besides, I, 
with Joshua Tittery, made a net, and caught great 
quantities of fish. These supplied ourselves and 
others; so that, notwithstanding it was thought that 
near three thousand persons came over the first 
year, we were providentially provided for. We 
could buy a deer for about two shillings, a large 
turkey for about one shilling, and corn for about 
two shillings and six-pence a bushel. The Indians 
brought in plenty of venison. 

" About a year after our arrival, there came in 
about twenty families, from High and Low Germany, 
of religious, good people. They settled at a place 
which they called Germantown. The country con- 
tinually increasing, people began to spread them- 
selves farther back. A place called North Wales 
also was settled by a colony of Welshmen, an 



52 HISTORY OF THE MUJDLE STATES. 

honest sort of people, though not professors 
of the truth as held by us Quakers. Yet, in a 
little time, a large convincement took place among 
them, in consequence of good preaching, and 
divers meeting-houses were built." 

*' About the time when Germantown was laid out, 
I settled upon my tract of land which I had pur- 
chased of the proprietor in England. I set up a 
house and a corn-mill upon it, which was very useful 
to the country for several miles round. There not 
being plenty of horses, people generally brought 
their corn to mill, many miles, on their backs. I 
remember one man had a bull so gentle, that he used 
to carry his corn on him, instead of a horse. 

" Being now settled about six miles from Phila- 
delphia, where were most of my friends, and the 
chief place of provisions, fresh meat was very scarce." 

Here Mr. Townsend makes some further remarks 
upon the means by which they obtained a subsist- 
ence, and then relates the following anecdote as an 
illustration of the kindness with which Providence 
watched over their welfare : — 

" As I was in my meadow, mowing grass, during 
the haying season, a young deer came out of the 
bushes near by, and stood still and looked at me. I 
continued mowing, and the deer continued looking. 
After a while, I laid down my scythe, and went gently 
towards him. Upon this he ran off, but not far. I 
went to work again, and the deer began to look at 
me again ; so that I left my work several times to 



HISTORY OF THE MIDDLE STATES. 53 

go towards him ; but he still kept himself at a dis- 
tance. At last, as I was stepping slowly and softly 
towards him, he, looking me full in the face and re- 
treating, did not mind his steps, but stumbled vio- 
lently against the trunk of a tree. The shock stunned 
him so much that he fell. I now ran forward, and, 
getting upon him, held him by the legs. After a 
great struggle, in which I had almost tired him out, 
I threw him on my shoulders, holding him fast by 
the legs, and carried him about a quarter of a mile, 
home, though not without difficulty, from his fresh 
strugglings. A neighbor of mine, who happened 
to be there, helped me butcher the deer very hand- 
somely, and he proved serviceable to my family." 

It must be obvious enough to my young readers, 
I think, after all I have said of the first settlers of 
Pennsylvania, that they were hardy, persevering, 
industrious and honest men. They were, in fact, 
just the men most likely to succeed in their situa- 
tions ; and it was to their excellent character and 
habits that the province, for a long time, owed the 
greater part of its prosperity. 
5* 



54 HISTORY OF THE MIDDLE STATES. 



CHAPTER VIII. 

Some other Anecdotes of the Pennsyhanian Indians. How 
they were unjustly suspected of Hostility by the JVhiteSf 
in 1688 ; and how the Jfhites were horribly frightened 
about JVothing. Story about the lame Indian King. 
War at last breaks out, in 1754. The Occasion of it. 
Some of the Tribes continue peaceable. Injustice done 
to these friendly Tribes. Horrible Massacre at Lan- 
caster. End of the Pennsyhanian History. 

I HAVE told you that the Pennsylvania Indians 
never violated their first treaty with Mr. Penn, for 
about seventy years. There were sometimes fears, 
however, that they would do so, especially as the 
French, in Canada, made great exertions to per- 
suade them to desert the English interest. In 1688, 
the people of Philadelphia were alarmed with the 
report of a conspiracy of the savages, to cut off all 
the English on a certain day. The report was first 
brought by two women, of West Jersey, to an old 
Dutch settler at Chester. The appointed day, they 
said, was Wednesday of the week following. 

On Wednesday, accordingly, about 10 o'clock in 
the night, a messenger came riding into Chester vil- 
lage in breathless haste. He had come across the 
woods. He told the people that three families, which 
he named, about nine miles distant, were all cut off 
by the Indians. Luckily, the Chester Quakers were 
not easily alarmed before they were hurt. They 



HISTORY OF THE MIDDLE STATES. 65 

knew that they had treated the Indians too well to 
have made enemies of them. 

Three of them, however, started off on horseback, 
about midnight, to examine into the truth of the re- 
port. They found the three houses referred to, but no 
persons in them. Still, there were no signs of mur- 
der. The inhabitants had heard the same alarm, it 
seems, with the Chester people, and had fled for 
refuge about a mile, to a small settlement at Ridley's 
creek. One of them had even been told that five 
hundred Indians were actually collected at a place 
called Naaman's creek, ready to fall upon the 
English. This man had immediately fled for his 
house, to give the alarm. As he was hastening on, 
he imagined that he heard one of his own children 
crying out, " What shall I do 1 My poor mother in 
killed ! my mother is killed ! What shall I do V 

This frightened him more than ever. He now 
supposed that his house and family were gone for it. 
He dared not even proceed any farther, to learn the 
correctness of his fears. He turned about instantly, 
and fled across the woods for Philadelphia, with all 
possible speed, and imagining every stump and bush 
on his way to be an Indian. The people of that 
place were much alarmed by his story. A messen- 
ger was despatched to Naaman's creek, who soon 
returned and confirmed the report. 

He said, however, that it was at Brandywine, and 
not Naaman's creek, where the Indians were as- 
sembled. He added, that they had carried away or 



56 HISTORY OF THE MIDDLE STATES. 

concealed their women and children, and also their 
king, who was lame and sick ; in a word, they were 
thoroughly prepared for the massacre. A Chester 
Quaker, named Caleb Pusey, now offered to go again 
to this very place without arms even, provided only 
that five other persons from Philadelphia would ac- 
company him. He suspected that there might be 
some mistake in the business. 

He set off, accordingly, with five attendants, and 
proceeded to the Indian village at Brandywine 
creek. Here, instead of finding five hundred sav- 
ages in arms, they found the old king quietly lying 
on the ground before his wigwam, in the sunshine. 
His lame leg lay at length on a pile of straw, and 
his head on a kind of pillow. The Indian children 
were playing around him : the v/omen were at work 
in their cornfields as usual. 

The English approached the royal wigwam. The 
old king raised his head a little, and inquired, very 
politely, what they had come for. They told him 
the report which the Jersey women had first raised, 
and asked him whether the Indians had any com- 
plaint to make against the English. He appeared 
both provoked and amused at the report. He said 
that they had never the least misunderstanding with 
the English. " 'Tis true," added he, " you owe us 
still about fifteen pounds, for the land Mr. Penn 
bought; but we are in no particular haste for 
our pay." 

The English replied to him, that the Great Spirit 



HISTORY OF THE MIDDLE STATES. 57 

loved the English and the Indians alike, and so they 
ought to love each other. *' Very true," said the 
king, " and as the Great Spirit has given you corn, 
as well as ourselves, I advise you to go home and 
gather it in peace. [It was now harvest time.] We 
intend you no harm." They parted amicably, and 
the messengers returned to Philadelphia, to quiet 
the vain fears of the settlers. This story illustrates 
the suspicion which they still could not help harbor- 
ing, however unjustly, against the inoffensive and 
friendly natives. 

It was not until the year 1754, that a really hos- 
tile spirit began to be seen am.ong the Pennsylvanian 
tribes. They were provoked, probably, by some 
incursions or trespasses of the straggling whites on 
their lands or other property. They were spurred 
on, too, by the French in Canada. Hostilities 
commenced; and the frontier inhabitants, on the 
skirts of the province, suffered all the horrors of a 
violent Indian war. 

But the savages were not all concerned in this 
misunderstanding. The Conestogoe Indians, among 
others, continued friendly. They did not get much 
credit, however, for their good conduct. Public 
suspicion was excited against the Indians general- 
ly ; and this feeling became so violent in Lancaster 
county, as to give rise to the most atrocious massacres 
recorded in the annals of America. 

An attack was made upon the Conestogoe set- 
tlement by fifty-seven Lancaster settlers, who had 



58 HISTORY OF THE MIDDLE STATES. 

armed themselves with muskets, hangers and hatch- 
ets, and were all mounted on horseback. It was 
about day-break when they surrounded the wig- 
wam village of the poor, innocent, but suspected 
Indians. 

The signal was given for assault, and the wig- 
wams were all broken in at the same moment. 
Only three men, two women and one boy were 
found at home. The rest were among the neigh- 
boring white people, in Lancaster and other places ; 
some to sell their baskets, brooms and bowls, and 
others for other occasions. The six just mention- 
ed were immediately fired upon, stabbed, and 
hatcheted to death. All of them were scalped, and 
horribly mangled. Their huts were then set on 
fire, and the whole Indian village consumed. 

The magistrates of Lancaster had by this time 
heard the alarm. Determined to defend the Cones- 
togoes against their outrageous persecutors, they 
sent out to collect all the straggling Indians about 
that place, and secure them. But the murderers 
were not yet satisfied. Hearing that fourteen In- 
dians were collected together in the Lancaster 
work-house, they marched for that town with their 
whole force. Fifty of them soon made their ap- 
pearance before the gates of the work-house. 

They then dismounted, and broke in the doors 
with the utmost violence. The poor Indians now 
perceived that their last hour had arrived. The 
Lancaster people would have protected them ; but 



HISTORY OF THE MIDDLE STATES. 59 

they were surprised, and knew not what to do. 
The Indians had no weapons, and no other de- 
fence whatever. Their cruel enemies had now 
broken in the inner doors. They stood before 
them, breathless, and with fury in their counte- 
nances. 

The Indian children began to cling to their pa- 
rents' knees. The latter fell on their faces before 
the English. They professed their innocence, and 
protested, that, in their whole lives, they had done 
the English no injury. In this posture they were 
all murdered, man, woman and child ! The bar- 
barous ruffians who committed the deed retreated 
hastily from the work-house, mounted their horses^ 
huzzaed at the door for their victory, and galloped 
out of town at full speed ! 



CHAPTER IX. 



Commencement of the early History of J^eiv York, The 
River Hudson discovered. Some Account of Henry 
Hudson. The Dutch form Settlements in JVetv York. 
Dispute between them and the English. War with the 
English. War with the Indians. Quarrels with the 
Connecticut Settlers. Governor Van Twiller. Kieft, 
the second Governor, comes pretty near having his 
Brains blown out. Anecdotes. 

Having done with the early Pennsylvanian his- 
tory, I shall give you, now, some sketches of the 



60 HISTORY OF THE MIDDLE STATES. 

history of the great state of New York. Populous 
and powerful as that state is at the present time, it was 
long among the most insignificant of the colonies ; 
and, even at the end of a hundred years from its 
first settlement, it did not contain one hundred 
thousand inhabitants. You will recollect that it 
now contains more than two millions. 

The principal river of New York, the Hudson, 
was first discovered and ascended, in 1609, two 
years afi:er the settlement at Jamestown, by Henry 
Hudson, for whom it was named. 

Hudson was an Englishman, employed, as some 
writers say, by the English king, James, but as the 
Dutch historians generally state, employed by the 
Dutch East India Company. Chiefly in conse- 
quence of this uncertainty, affecting the rights of 
the English and the Dutch, as first discoverers and 
owners of the same disputed country, there were 
frequent quarrels and wars between the Dutch in 
New York and the neighboring English colonies, 
for a number of years. The former were finally 
conquered in 1664, during a long war in which the 
mother countries, England and Holland, were en- 
gaged with each other. 

The English writers say, further, that Hudson 
sold his right of discovery to the Dutch, which he 
had no right to do, being subject to King James. 
But the Dutch deny this. He was employed, they 
say, by themselves, as a servant of the company. 
This company desired, as almost all Europe did, at 



HISTORY OF THE MIDDLE STATES. 61 

that time, to find some nearer passage to the East 
Indies, than by the usual roundabout circuit of the 
Cape of Good Hope. They sent Hudson, there- 
fore, to search for a north-west, American passage, 
not knowing, at that period, how far this continent 
extended, uninterruptedly, from north to south. 

Hudson sailed early in 1609, — or, as others say, 
in 1608, — with a small vessel, well supplied, and 
twenty Englishmen and Dutchmen for a crew. He 
pursued a westward course from the Texel, in Hol- 
land, and fell in with the coast of Newfoundland, so 
named by himself He then shaped his course for 
Cape Cod ; looked into the Chesapeake, near 
where the Virginian colony had settled in 1607 ; an- 
chored off the Delaware; and ascended the river^ 
named, after himself, the Hudson, more than a hun- 
dred miles. When he returned to Holland, the 
Dutch gave him something for his map of discove- 
ries, and sent several ships, the next year, to found 
a small settlement on Manhattan Island, upon w^hich 
the great city of New York now stands. 

In 1614, they granted a patent to a company of 
merchants, for trading with the savages on the 
Hudson. They called their American territory 
the New Netherlands, and laid claim to all that is 
now Delaware, New Jersey and Pennsylvania, be- 
sides New York. Being determined to make the 
best of this claim, too, they built a fort on the 
western side of the Hudson, near Albany, the 
6 



62 HISTORY OF THE MIDDLE STATES. 

first commander of which was Hendrick or Henry 
Christiaens. 

This good man had enjoyed his authority but a 
few months, before Captain Argall, who had been 
sent out by the English against the Dutch settle- 
ments on the Bay of Fundy, and had sailed up the 
Hudson on his return, by way of amusement, sudden- 
ly appeared before the fort, and called upon Chris- 
tiaens to surrender. The captain was obliged to 
make a grace of necessity. He was unprepared for 
defence ; and so, without the least ceremony, or 
show of fighting, he instantly submitted himself, 
and his garrison or colony, to the crown of Eng- 
land. In consequence of this good behavior, Ar- 
gall suffered them to stay there, although it is said 
their fort was demolished. But the English were 
hardly gone, before they built another, on Manhattan 
Island, which they called Fort Amsterdam. 

In 1623, they erected two more ; one called 
Nassau, on the east side of Delaware Bay ; and 
another, called Good Hope, on Connecticut River. 
The Dutch writers say, that the land was bought of 
the Indians on both sides of this last-named river, 
long before the English settled there. In 1621, 
the New Netherlands were granted to the Dutch 
West Indian Company. 

Wouter Van Twiller was the first Dutch gov- 
ernor. He arrived at Fort Amsterdam, where New 
York now is, in June, 1629. His style and title, in 
the grant, were as follows : — '' We, director and 



HISTORY OF THE MIDDLE STATES. 63 

council, residing in the New Netherlands, on the 
Island Manhattans, under the government of their 
High Mightinesses, the Lords States General of 
the United Netherlands, and the privileged West 
Indian Company." It is certainly to be hoped that 
the worthy governor did not oblige every one of his 
subjects to address him, on all occasions, by his 
long title. 

William Kieft was the second governor. By the 
year 1638, the quarrelling with their English and 
other neighbors had become quite brisk ; and it 
embarrassed Kieft not a little. He issued a proc- 
lamation, among other things, forbidding the Con- 
necticut people to trade at Fort Good Hope, on the 
Connecticut river. Shortly after, the English n6t 
being so much terrified by this proclamation as the 
governor expected, he sent a Dutch force to Good 
Hope, to maintain what he considered his Dutch 
territories. The English had already settled on 
the Connecticut two years before. In 1640, 
notwithstanding the proclamation and the power 
of Governor Kieft, they seized upon the Dutch 
garrison, and drove them all away from the banks 
of the river. 

In the course of the same year, the English also 
overspread the eastern part of Long Island, and 
settled even as far as Oyster Bay. In 1642, Kieft 
sent a force to break up these settlements, notwith- 
standing that the English had bought up the land of 
the Indians. Some of the English planters were 



64 HISTORY OF THE MIDDLE STATES. 

imprisoned, and others driven off. The governor 
treated the New Haven colonists with no more cer- 
emony. He sent two armed sloops against them, 
without so much as a warning ; burned the English 
trading-houses ; seized upon their boat and their 
goods ; and did other damage, to the amount of one 
thousand pounds sterling. 

The Dutch agent at New Haven made an at- 
tempt on the life of Mr. Lamberton, a principal 
merchant of the English colony, during the same 
year. He accused that gentleman of a plot with 
the Indians, to cut off the Dutch ; and tried to in- 
duce his servants to swear all this falsehood against 
him in court, by giving them strong drink, and by 
other bribes. Lamberton was tried and acquitted ; 
but when he afterwards visited ' Manhattoes' to 
trade, Kieft treated him very harshly, and obliged 
him lo pay an inordinate tax upon the beaver-skins 
which he had there purchased from the Indians. 

The English further complained of the Dutch, 
that the latter harbored all fugitives from Con- 
necticut; helped them, when confined for crimes, 
to file off their chains; persuaded servants to run 
away from their masters ; and purchased goods 
which had been stolen from the English, and would 
not return them. Yet the Dutch governor wrote 
to Governor Winthrop at Boston, the very next 
year, complaining of the intolerable insolence and 
insults of the English. They were pulling each 
other by the ears, he said, in Connecticut, for a 



HISTORY OF THE MIDDLE STATES. 65 

little piece of land not worth speaking of; and he 
desired Governor Winthrop to see justice done to the 
Dutch. It is hard to find out, on the whole, upon 
which side the blame lay most, or which party made 
the most disturbance. It is clear, however, that 
they were all ready enough to quarrel; and in such 
cases, it is seldom difficult to find something to quar- 
rel about. 

The Indians were, at this period, beginning to 
acquire the use of fire-arms. These were sold 
them, in the way of trade, by the Canadian French, 
the Dutch, and perhaps the English also ; and they 
soon showed a more hostile spirit, in consequence 
of these supplies. In 1643, they quarrelled openly 
with the Dutch. It seems that a drunken Indian, 
in his intoxication, killed a Dutchman. The Dutch 
demanded the murderer ; but he was not to be 
found. They then instigated the Mohawk tribe of 
Indians, as it was said, to fall upon their Indian 
neighbors, which they did, and killed thirty of 
them. 

One Marine, a Dutch sea-captain, soon after ob- 
tained a commission from Kieft, to kill as many of 
the savages as he could. So, collecting a company of 
armed men, he fell suddenly upon the Indians in the 
vicinity of Manhattoes, and made an indiscriminate 
slaughter of men, women and children, to the num- 
ber of seventy or eighty. This outrage roused the 
Indians of all that section to a bloody and obstinate 
war. During the spring and summer, they burnt 
6* 



66 HISTORY OF THE MIDDLE STATES. 

the out-houses about the Dutch settlements, and, 
driving their cattle into their barns, burnt cattle, 
barns and hay all together. 

They also killed several of the Dutch themselves, 
and pressed so hard upon their settlements, that 
they were obliged to take refuge in their fort, and 
send for help to their old enemies, the English of 
New Haven. The Long Island Indians united 
with the others against them. Kieft now invited 
Captain Underhill, from Stamford in Connecticut, 
to assist him, Underhill being pretty well known 
as a soldier. But, unluckily, Marine, the captain 
of Kieft's own troops, thought his dignity offended 
by this proceeding. He was mightily enraged, and 
even presented his pistol at the governor, threaten- 
ing to blow his brains out forthwith. 

This was fortunately prevented by some of the 
governor's attendants. Upon this, one of the cap- 
tain's soldiers discharged his musket at the governor, 
and the ball but just missed him. The governor's 
guard shot the soldier dead on the spot. The Dutch of 
New York were generally so irritated by the Indian 
war, at last, that the governor scarcely dared to ap- 
pear among them at all. He was obliged to keep a 
guard of fifty Englishmen about him for some time. 
And yet, but a few months before, the Dutch had 
been very eager, as we have seen, for the war. In 
the fall of this year, the Indians killed fifteen more 
Dutchmen, and drove in all the English and Dutch 
settlers west of Stamford in Connecticut. 

They continued to kill their cattlo, and burn 



HISTORY OF THE BHDDLE STATES. 67 

their houses and barns. They also did all possible 
mischief on Long Island. Those of the Dutch 
there, who escaped from their ravaged plantations, 
were confined to their fort for weeks, and obliged 
to kill and eat the last of their cattle. The English 
in Connecticut did not make common cause with 
the Dutch, but they sent them provisions on sev- 
eral occasions; and Captain Underbill, who joined 
them privately, according to the governor's invita- 
tion, had the chief command and management of 
the war. He collected more than one hundred 
English and Dutch soldiers under him, and by this 
force probably preserved the Dutch settlements from 
total destruction. He is supposed to have killed 
more than four hundred Indians on Long Island and 
updn the main land. 



CHAPTER X. 



Story about an English Criminal, harbored by the Dutch. 
Other Disturbances between them and the English. 
Great Battle betiveen the Indians and Dutch. Peter 
Stuyvesant, the third Governor of JVew York. He meets 
with many Vexations in his Government. His Letter 
sent to Holland, in 1660. War with the English. The 
English conquer and take Possession of JVew York. 
Story about Captain Manning. 

While the Dutch were having all this trouble 
with the savages, some of their own settlers, who 



68 HISTORY OF THE MIDDLE STATES. 

Still remained in Connecticut, were giving nearly 
as much trouble to their English neighbors in that 
province. 

During the year 1646, the Dutch at Hartford 
induced an Indian servant ^irl to take shelter amons[ 
them, who had left her English master for some crime. 
The latter now demanded her, as his property ; and 
the magistrates demanded her also, as a criminal. 
But the Dutch would not restore her to either of the 
claimants. The Dutch agent even resisted the 
guard who came for her. He drew his rapier upon 
the soldiers, and broke it over their muskets, in the 
violence of his passion. He then escaped to the 
Dutch fort, which was still standing at Hartford, 
and there defended and sheltered himself with im- 
punity. 

Some of the Dutch also assaulted an Englishman 
who had recovered damages against one or more of 
them, in court, for some injury, and had attempted 
to collect them by process of law. They struck 
him, and took his team and loading from him. The 
English magistrates wrote letters to Governor Kieft 
at Manhattoes (commonly so called), complaining of 
all these things ; but Kieft gave them little satisfac- 
tion. He was a passionate man, addicted to the 
use of hard words ; and he wrote to the English noth- 
ing but unconscionably abusive letters in reply to 
their complaints. He denied that the Indian woman 
was a servant ; and passed over the other matter 
without the least notice whatsoever. 



HISTORY OF THE MIDDLE STATES. 69 

He now threatened, moreover, to make war upon 
the English in Connecticut, who had settled on lands, 
as he said, to which they had no right. He then 
compared the magistrates, who wrote to him, to 
eagles, " which soar aloft, and always despise the 
little fly;" but. the Dutch, he added, would soon 
bring them down. He finished his letters with this 
sentence : " We protest against all your commis- 
sioners met at the Red Mount. [Thus the Dutch 
called New Haven, from the reddish appearance of 
the rocks west and north of the town.] We protest 
against you as infringers of the rights of the Lords, 
the States, our superior [meaning the Netherlands], 
in that you have dared, without our express and 
special consent, to hold your court within the limits 
of New Netherlands." 

The Connecticut magistrates, or commissioners, 
as they were called, answered the governor very 
coolly. They observed to him, that he had forgot- 
ten, in his rage, the most important part of their 
former complaints, and again requested him to put 
some check on the intolerable insolence of the Dutch 
in Connecticut. 

The war still continued, meanwhile, between the 
Dutch and the Indians. A great battle was fought, 
about this time, at that part of Horseneck, in Con- 
necticut, commonly called Strickland's Plains. It 
was long and bloody. The Dutch, with much diffi- 
culty, kept the field, and the Indians withdrew. 
Great numbers were slain on both sides, so that the 



70 HISTORY OF THE MIDDLE STATES. 

graves of the dead, for a century after, as the old 
historians relate, appeared like a cluster of small 
hills. 

Peter Stuyvesant was the last Dutch governor 
of New York. He began his administration in 
1647, and never did any governor find himself in 
more trouble. All nations seemed to him to have 
united against him, for the express purpose of keep- 
ing him uneasy. The Connecticut people addressed 
him a letter of compliments, in which they hinted 
the propriety of his giving them the satisfaction 
which Kieft had refused. But notwithstanding their 
compliments, the governor was but very little more 
civil than his predecessor had been, though rather 
less passionate. He even encouraged new insults 
upon the English, by his own people. At least the 
English thought so, and they now quarrelled more 
sharply than ever. These differences were finally 
settled by the governor's going to Hartford for that 
purpose, in September, 1650. On the same occa- 
sion, a boundary was agreed upon, which remains 
to this day the dividing line between New York and 
Connecticut. 

But Stuyvesant had vexations enough on other 
sides, to counterbalance this agreeable settlement 
of his affairs with Connecticut. He quarrelled 
with the English colony in Maryland, about the 
Maryland boundary ; the Indians molested him 
from the back country ; and, not far from the same 
time, one Forrester, a Scotchman, set up a claim to 



HISTORY OF THE MIDDLE STATES. 71 

land upon Long Island. Moreover, as if to keep 
the good governor active, a Swedish colony was 
encroaching on his limits in Delaware. 

By some mistake, one Deswyck, a Swedish cap- 
tain, had arrived in Raritan river. The ship was 
seized, and Deswyck carried captive to New Am- 
sterdam (New York). It seems that, a few years 
before, the Dutch had built Fort Casimir (where 
Newcastle now is), on the Delaware river. The 
Swedish colony then claimed that section of country, 
and protested against their building of the fort. 

But the Dutch not noticing their threats, Risingh, 
the Swedish governor, determined to try another 
method of persuasion. So, with thirty men, he one 
day visited the fort under pretence of making them 
a civil call. lie fired two salutes, and was then ad- 
mitted and entertained. Within an hour or two, he 
availed himself of this occasion to overpower the 
garrison, seize on all their ammunition and stores, 
and compel them to swear allegiance to Christiana, 
queen of Sweden. 

But the Dutch were not to be so easily outwitted. 
They sailed againstFort Casimir, in 1655, Stuy vesant 
heading his own force in person. He ascended the 
Delaware in September of that year, anchored op- 
posite the garrison, landed his troops, and demanded 
the surrender of the fort, as Dutch property. Suen 
Scutz, the Swedish captain, desired time to advise 
with Governor Risingh. But Stuyvesant would 
suffer no such thing. " They must surrender v.ith- 



72 HISTORY OF THE MDDLE STATES. 

out the least hesitation, or ceremony," he said, "or 
the old fort should be blown about their ears, like 
a mere martin-house, by his cannon !" 

Scutz was horribly terrified, and surrendered. 
The whole strength of the fort — four cannon, four- 
teen pounders, five swivels, and a parcel of small 
arms — was given up, with the fort itself. Stuyve- 
sant now marched against Fort Christiana, com- 
manded by Risingh. This surrendered on the 
25th of the month, and thus the country was en- 
tirely subdued. About thirty Swedes were suffered 
to remain there, on swearing a long oath of *' fidelity 
and obedience to the States General, the Lords 
Directors of the West India Company, their subal- 
terns of the province of New Netherlands, and the 
Director General, then or thereafter to be establish- 
ed." Risingh was ordered off to France or England ; 
and the other Swedes, who refused to swear the long 
oath, were sent home to Sweden, by way of Holland. 

But the troubles of Stuyvesant were not yet 
ended, as appears from a long letter which he wrote 
to the West India Company in Holland, dated 
April 20th, 1660 : — " Your honors imagine," he 
writes, " that the troubles in England will prevent 
any attempt on these parts. Alas! they are ten to 
one in number to us; and, without any assistance, 
can deprive us of this country whenever they 
please." This was a hard case, truly, for the 
governor, and it soon appeared that he was right in 
his idea of the English power. 



HISTORY OF THE MIDDLE STATES. 73 

In March, 1664, King Charles of England granted 
a patent of the state of New York to his brother, the 
Duke of York, for whom it was named. The patent 
included also what is now New Jersey. This the 
duke afterwards gave up to several other English 
noblemen. But the province of New York he was 
determined to keep to himself; and, with this view, 
an expedition was fitted out against the New 
Netherlands. It sailed from Boston, in New Eng- 
land, in August, commanded by Colonel Nichols. 
The colonel arrived before New Amsterdam on the 
20th of the same month, and immediately called 
upon the Dutch governor to surrender all the forts 
and towns on the island of Manhattoes. 

Stuyvesant was a soldier, as we have seen, and a 
man not easily frightened. But he had no knowl- 
edge of the expedition until late in July, and was, 
therefore, almost wholly unprepared for defence. To 
gain time, however, he drew up a tremendously 
long statement of the Dutch right to the country, 
which ended with assuring Nichols, that he would 
hold out to the last. *' We offer unto you," added 
he, " a treaty, by our deputies, Mr. Cornelius Van 
Ruyner, secretary, Cornelius Steenwick, burgo- 
master, Mr. Samuel Megapolensis, doctor of physic, 
and Mr. James Cousseau, heretofore sheriff." 

The conclusion, which follows, is a queer specimen 

of the style of those days : — "As touching the threats 

in your summons, we only say that we fear nothing 

but what God shall lay upon us, all being in his 

7 



74 HISTORY OF THE MIDDLE STATES. 

gracious disposal ; and we may as well be preserved 
by him with small forces, as by a great army — which 
makes us wish you all happiness and prosperity, and 
recommend you to his protection. My lords, your 
thrice humble and affectionate servant and friend, 

(Signed) P. Stuyvesant. 

At the Fort at Amsterdam, the 2d of September, JVew Style, 
1664." 

But Nichols was too shrewd a man to be coaxed 
or terrified in this manner. He issued a proclama- 
tion inviting the Dutch to submit, and promising 
them easy terms. He then made violent prepara- 
tions for an assault upon the fort. The governor 
now sent John de Decker, his counsellor of state, 
and three other men, with long names and titles, to 
agree upon a truce. 

Nichols answered, that nothing but a surrender 
would answer his purpose ; and so, two days after, 
the whole Dutch government and country submitted 
to the English crown. The Dutch were suffered to 
remain there, however, as most of them did ; and their 
descendants, to this day, are well known to be among 
the most industrious and worthy inhabitants of the 
great state of New York. From this time the 
province was ruled, like most of the other provinces, 
by governors appointed by the English king. 

It was at this period that New Amsterdam was 
first named New York. It consisted of several 
small streets, laid out in 1656, and contained a 
considerable population, chiefly of Dutch. In a few 



HISTORY OF THE MIDDLE STATES. 75 

weeks after the surrender of this place, the Dutch 
fort on the river Hudson, above, was reduced, and 
named "Albany," from one of the titles of the Duke 
of York. 

A new war broke out two years after this, be- 
tween England and Holland, during Avhich a Dutch 
fleet anchored at Staten Island, near the mouth of 
the Hudson, and captured the English fort there 
without giving or receiving a shot. From that time 
till the close of the war, the Dutch were once more 
masters of the country. It was then returned to the 
possession of the English. John Manning, who had 
given up the fort, was tried for permitting the Dutch 
to land on the island without suffering his men to 
fire a gun, and for striking his flag even before the 
enemy were within sight of the garrison. 

Manning pleaded guilty to these scandalous 
charges, but was only condemned to have his sword 
broken over his head in public, and himself rendered 
incapable of wearing one, or holding an office ever 
after. It is said he was suffered to go to England, 
to see the Duke of York and King Charles ; and 
that the latter had a partiality for him, from the cir- 
cumstance that, when that monarch was in exile, 
Manning had befriended him, and foretold his resto- 
ration to the English throne. 



76 HISTORY OF THE MIDDLE STATES. 



CHAPTER XL 

Sovie Account of the JVew York Indians. The Five JVa- 
tions. The Policy observed toivards ihtm by the Eng- 
lish of JVeiv York and the Fi-ench of Canada. Anecdotes 
of their Wars ivith the French. Battle between the Sen- 
ecas and French. The Five JVations invade Canada. 
Occasion of this Movement. Stojy of the Dinondadie 
Sachem, Adario. 

Having given you some account of the Dutch 
and English who first settled and took possession of 
New York, I shall now tell you about the Indians 
of that state. The chief of these were the Five 
Nations, a very powerful and famous confederacy, 
consisting of the Senecas, the Cayugas, the Onon- 
dagas, the Mohawks and the Oneidas. 

For a long time after they had taken possession of 
the province, it was the great object of the English 
governors of New York to keep these Indians friend- 
ly to themselves, and hostile to the French in Canada. 
In this they were generally successful. The French 
and these Indians were continually quarrelling, and 
often at war with each other. 

In 1687, the French governor collected a strong 
force at Montreal, with the view of marching against 
the Senecas, who were particularly troublesome to 
the French. Monsieur Campanie was sent forward 
with two hundred Canadians, as an advanced party. 
He surprised two Indian villages, which had been 



HISTORY OF THE MIDDLE STATES. 77 

built about twenty miles from Lake Cadaracqui (as 
the Indians called Ontario), at the invitation of the 
French themselves. All but thirteen of the Indians 
who were taken here were tortured at the stake. 
The thirteen survivors were sent captive to France, 
to work in the French galleys. 

All the Five Nations soon heard of this massacre, 
and they made terrible preparations for vengeance. 
The French army, meanwhile, left Fort Cada- 
racqui on the 23d of June, half marching down 
on the north, and half on the south side of the 
lake. Both detachments arrived at Tyrondequait 
the same day, and thence immediately marched for 
the chief village of the Senecas, which was twenty 
miles distant. The main body was composed of 
regular troops, the front and rear consisting of friend- 
ly Indians and traders. The scouts advanced, on 
the second day of the march, as far as the cornfields 
belonging to the village. 

Here lay five hundred Senecas, upon their arms. 
The scouts came up within pistol-shot : but seeing 
no living being, and hearing no noise whatever, they 
returned to the army, and reported that the enemy 
had all fled ; and that the French must quicken their 
march, to overtake even the old men and women. 
They pressed on, therefore, in great haste, until they 
reached the foot of a hill, about a mile from the 
village, where the Senecas lay ready for them. They 
rushed out from their ambuscade, with a tremen- 



78 HISTORY OF THE MIDDLE STATES. 

dous shout, and fell at the same instant on the front 
and the rear of the army. 

The French battalions were embarrassed and 
thrown into great disorder. They fired upon each 
other as much as upon the enemy, and soon fled to 
the woods. The Senecas followed them until they 
were checked by the French Indians. The number 
of killed on either side is not certainly known ; but 
the French chief commander, De Nonville, was so 
much dispirited by his loss, that he could not be 
persuaded to continue his march that day. The 
Senecas, therefore, had time to burn their village 
and retire. Two of their children only courageously 
remained to receive De Nonville, and to be tortured 
for the amusement of his Indian allies. 

After destroying the corn in this and several other 
villages, the French army retired to the banks of 
the lake, and erected a fort on the south-east side 
of the straits of Niagara. Here they left one 
hundred men, under the command of one De la 
Troye, with eight months' provisions. They were 
soon after closely besieged by their Indian enemies, 
and all perished but seven or eight. 

In August of the year 1687, Colonel Dongan, the 
New York governor, met the sachems of the Five Na- 
tions at Albany, and confirmed the English alliance 
with them by presents and speeches. In the spring of 
the next year, a party of Onondaga Indians (one of 
these five tribes) surprised a few French soldiers near 
Fort Frontenac. Instead of murdering them, how- 



HISTORY OF THE MIDDLE STATES. 79 

ever, they confined them to hard labor (as a return for 
the fate of those thirteen Indians whom the French had 
sent to labor in old France). Lamberville, a French 
priest, used his utmost skill to regain them ; but find- 
ing his efforts fruitless, he gave the Onondagas two 
wampum-belts, to secure their kindness to the 
prisoners, and prevent their joining the Senecas in 
open war. 

A treaty was formally made, this season, between 
the French and the Five Nations ; but it was soon 
interrupted by a singular event. The Dinondadie 
Indians, who lived on the river St. Lawrence, had 
lately begun to trade with the English, and their 
friendship was, therefore, suspected by the French. 
Adario, their chief sachem, now undertook to regain 
the confidence of the latter nation, by performing 
some notable exploit against their old enemies, the 
Five Nations. He wished also to prevent a peace 
between these two parties ; for, in that case, the 
French would have leisure to punish the Dinonda- 
dies, and would stand no longer in awe of the Five 
Nations. He determined, therefore, to make a diffi- 
culty between the two parties. 

He put himself at the head of one hundred 
Dinondadies, and lay in ambush for the ambassadors 
of the Five Nations, at the fall in Cadaracqui river, 
as they were returning from Canada home. He 
killed some, and took the rest prisoners. He told 
the latter, that the French governor had informed 
him that fifty warriors of the Five Nations were com- 



80 HISTORY OF THE MDDLE STATES. 

ing that way, and advised him to fall upon them 
without mercy. The ambassadors were amazed at 
the perfidy of the governor, and frankly informed 
Adario of the truce they had just settled with him. 

Adario now counterfeited the utmost rage and 
shame, at having been made the tool, as he said, of 
the French governor. He liberated the ambassadors 
at once. " Go, my brethren," said the crafty sav- 
age ; "I untie your bonds, and send you home 
again. The French governor has made me commit 
so black an action, that I shall never be easy after it, 
till the Five Nations shall have taken their revenge." 

The ambassadors went home with this story in 
their mouths, not doubting a word of what Adario 
had said. The Five Nations were terribly enraged 
against the French. By the 26th of July, they landed 
1200 of their warriors, panting for revenge, on the 
south side of the island of Montreal. The French 
in the city were in perfect security. The savages 
came upon them like a whirlwind. Every building 
near the walls was burned ; the neighboring planta- 
tions ravaged ; and 1000 men, women and children 
put to the sword. Twenty-six more were carried 
into captivity, and burned alive. The Five Nations, 
during all this time, lost only three of their number. 

Never did Canada sustain such a blow. The 
news of the massacre no sooner reached the garri- 
son at Lake Ontario, than they set fire to two ves- 
sels they had built there, and abandoned the fort, 
leaving a slow match to twenty-eight barrels of gun- 



HISTORY OF THE JHDDLE STATES. 81 

powder, designed to blow up the works. This match 
happened to fail, however, and the Indians soon 
after seized upon the fort, powder and all. The 
French fled down the river so precipitately, that one 
of their batteaux and her whole crew were dashed 
into pieces by shooting over a fall. Canada was 
horribly harassed by the savages, on all sides, for a 
long time. 

Canada was at this time in the most distressed 
condition ; and it continued to be so for a long 
period. The whole country was ravaged, day and 
night, by the warriors of the Five Nations. The 
plantations of the settlers, in all quarters, were burnt 
and destroyed ; trade was entirely at a stand ; great 
numbers of the people were slain ; and the remain- 
der were in danger of perishing by famine, as well 
as by the tomahawks of their inveterate and ferocious 
enemies. Matters came to such a pitch, in fine, 
that, although no fault could be found with the ad- 
ministration of the Canadian governor, De Non- 
ville, it was deemed necessary by the Court of 
France to remove him from his ofiice. 

It was supposed that this step, and the appoint- 
ment of a new governor, who had the reputation 
and the popularity of a more fortunate man, might 
inspire the people of Canada with a gleam of hope 
that all was not yet lost. For this reason, De Non- 
vilie was recalled to France, and rewarded with 
an honorable employment in the king's household. 
The Count de Frontenac was appointed governor 



82 HISTORY OF THE Mn)DLE STATES. 

of Canada in his place ; and this gentleman arrived 
at Quebec on the 2d of October, 1689. He had 
been in Canada many years before, and was per- 
fectly acquainted with the country and the people. 
They were acquainted with him, too ; and they 
knew him for a brave and indefatigable man. He 
was now in the sixty-eighth year of his age ; but his 
faculties seemed unimpaired by time, and his inter- 
est in the welfare of the province entirely unabated. 
Great expectations were excited among the Cana- 
dians by his arrival, and care was artfully taken to 
increase this impression by public rejoicings got up 
with as much noise and parade as possible. He 
was too active, however, to pay much attention to 
matters of this kind. He left Quebec in four days 
after his arrival there ; and the winter being now so 
far advanced that the ice of the St. Lawrence made 
it unnavigable for larger vessels, he ascended the 
river to Montreal in an Indian canoe. The Cana- 
dians were greatly delighted with this new proof of 
his energy. 



HISTORY OF THE JMIDDLE STATES. 



CHAPTER XII. 



8:^ 



How Governor FVontenac treats the Indian Prisoners, 
Sends some of them Home. Treaty between JVeiv York 
and the Five JVations in 1689. Treaty with the JStew 
England Colonies, made at Mhany. Speech of Taha- 
jadoris. Indian Mode of doing Business at a Council. 
Result of the Council. Five JVations refuse to fight the 
eastern Tribes. They encourage the JVeiv York People 
to fight the F-ench. 

On the arrival of Frontenac at Montreal, he in- 
{ creased the admiration which the French people 
I already felt for his vigor and zeal, by proposing to 
I go and visit a fort on Lake Erie, which he had built 
i when in Canada before, and which had been since 
) abandoned. The clergy and people generally of 
i Montreal came to him, with outstretched hands, 
( to represent the danger of such an attempt at 
I this season, and beseeching him not to expose a 
^ life so necessary for their own defence and safety. 
I The shrewd old Frenchman suffered them to 
I exhaust all their arguments and tears ; and at last, 
I with seeming reluctance, he consented to abandon 
j the enterprise. This, he observed, was merely to 
' oblige them ; though the fact was, probably, that he 
i had no more idea of visiting or repairing the old 

fort than of visiting the king of China, and repairing 
; the Chinese wall. This show of his offering to 

go, however, had a good effect, as he undoubtedly 



84 HISTORY OF THE MIDDLE STATES. 

expected it would. Several Montreal gentlemen 
voluntarily set out, with one hundred Indian traders, 
to examine the fort. They found it in better condi- 
tion than they expected, although the Five Nations 
had made some breaches in the walls. These they 
now repaired, and then concluded to remain there 
as a garrison. 

Count de Frontenac had brought over with him from 
France,Tawerahet, one of the thirteen Indian prison- 
ers whom De Nonville, as I have told you, had taken 
at Cadaracqui and sent captive to France. As the Five 
Nations had an extraordinary opinion of Tawerahet as 
a warrior, and of course desired his redemption, the 
count hoped that he might be useful to the Canadians 
in procuring a peace between them and their 
Indian enemies. With this view, he took every 
measure in his power to conciliate Tawerahet, and 
his friends among the New York Indians, who, as 
he knew very well, would be sure to hear how he 
was treated. 

He had shown him a great deal of kindness, 
therefore, during the voyage from France to Cana- 
da ; and when they arrived at Quebec, he had given 
him lodgings under his own roof In a word, he 
wheedled the Indian sachem so effectually, that the 
latter forgot all the ill usage he had formerly re- 
ceived. Four others of the thirteen captives, of less 
note, had also been brought over. These four 
were now sent to the Five Nations, in Tawerahet's 
name, to inform them of his return, and of the kind- 



HISTORY OF THE MIDDLE STATES. 85 

ness of the Count de Frontenac to liim. They were 
also instructed to press the Indian tribes to visit 
"their old friend Frontenac," at Montreal, inasmuch 
as he had always retained an affection for them, and 
would be delighted to see them. 

But before I tell you the answer which the Five 
Nations returned to this artful message of the count, 
I must go back with you a month or two in my 
history. War had been declared anew between 
France and England, some time before Frontenac's 
arrival ; and four of the Five Nations had taken that 
occasion to renew their old treaty of peace with the 
people of New York. This was done upon the 27th 
of June, 1689. This renewal of the treaty was, in 
their language at the council, " sticking to the old 
chain by which they had all been bound together as 
brethren." " Virginia, Maryland and New England," 
added they, " have been since taken into this silver 
chain, with which our friendship is locked fast. 
We are now come to make the chain clearer and 
brighter than ever." 

About the beginning of September of the same 
year, the New England colonies sent commissioners 
to Albany, to meet the deputies of the Five Nations. 
They wished to engage the assistance of these tribes 
against the eastern Indians, with whom the colonies 
were at this period engaged in war. These same 
eastern Indians had also sent thei?- deputies to the 
Five Nations, just before the time we are speaking of, 
to engage assistance against the colonies ; the latter 
8 



86 HISTORY OF THE MIDDLE STATES. 

were, consequently, the more anxious to effect their 
purposes at the Albany meeting. 

The council commenced on the 23d of Septem- 
ber, with all the solemnities and parade usual on 
similar occasions. One of the New England agents 
opened it with a long speech, which he ended by 
desiring the Indians to consider well the answer 
they should give on the next day. On the 24th, 
accordingly, Tahajadoris, a Mohawk sachem, and a 
chief orator among them, made a long oration in 
reply. 

He repeated every thing the New England agent 
had said the day preceding, and then desired the au- 
dience to be very attentive to his answer. This re- 
peating what is said to them, before replying to it, 
was a common circumstance in these Indian coun- 
cils. They repeated, too, with astonishing accuracy, 
taking the following method of assisting their memo- 
ries : The chief sachem, who presides at the con- 
ference, held a bundle of small sticks in his hand. 
As soon as the speaker had finished any one article 
or paragraph in his speech, and stopped to get 
breath, or make presents according to custom, the 
chief sachem gave a stick to some other sachem at 
his side. 

This was as much as to say, " Be particular to 
remember this last article. We all depend on your 
memory for this^ When another article was fin- 
ished, he gave another stick to another sachem, 
whose charge it thereby became to remember the 



HISTORY OF THE MIDDLE STATES. 87 

second article. So he proceeded with every para- 
graph in the speech. At the end of it, the council 
was commonly adjourned to the afternoon, or the next 
day. The Indians met together meanwhile, and 
determined on their answer to each article of the 
speaker, one by one. One of them was selected to 
act as orator ; and the sachems undertook, as before, 
to remember each article of his speech. If he forgot 
or misstated any thing, therefore, when he came to 
speak, a sachem was always ready at his side to 
prompt or correct him. 

I will now resume my story, and give you a part 
of the speech of Tahajadoris at the Albany council. 

" Brothers," he began, " you are welcome to 
this house, which is appointed for our treaties with 
the Christians. We thank you for renewing the 
covenant chain. It is now no longer of iron, and 
subject to rust, as formerly, but of pure silver, and 
includes in it all the king's subjects, from the Sene- 
cas eastward, as far as any of the great king's sub- 
jects live (meaning King William, of England), 
and southward from New England to Virginia." 
Here the speaker presented a beaver-skin to the 
New England agents, to confirm what he had said. 
This was another general Indian custom. He then 
proceeded thus : — 

" We are glad to hear of the good success which 
our great king has had over the French by sea, in 
taking and sinking so many of their ships. You tell 
us, in your speech, that we are one people. Let us, 



OS HISTORY OF THE MIDDLE STATES. 

then, go hand in hand together. Let us ruin and 
destroy the French, our common enemy." Here 
another beaver was given. 

" The covenant chain between us is ancient (as 
you have told us), and of long standing. We have 
kept it with true hearts. When you had wars 
years ago with the Indians, you desired us to help 
you. We did it readily, and to the purpose. We 
pursued them closely, and so prevented the shedding 
of much of your own blood. This was a certain 
proof that we loved you from our hearts." Here the 
speaker gave a belt of wampum, the Indian money. 

" You advise us to pursue our enemies, the French, 
with vigor. This, we assure you, we are determined 
to do, to the utmost of our speed and strength. But 
since they are your enemies likewise, we desire our 
brothers of the colonies to send us a hundred men, 
for the security of this place, which is ill-provided 
against an attack from the French. The Christians 
here have victuals enough for the entertainment of 
a hundred men." Here another belt was presented. 

" We patiently suffered many injuries from the 
French, from year to year, before we took up the 
battle-axe against them. Our patience made the 
sachem (governor) of Canada think that we were 
afraid of him ; that we dared not resent the injuries 
we had suffered. He is now undeceived. We are 
resolved never to drop the axe. The French never 
shall see our faces in peace. We shall never be recon- 
ciled while a Frenchman lives. We will make no 



HISTORY OF THE MIDDLE STATES. 89 

peace, though every one of our nation should be cut 
into shces by the French swords. Our brothers 
may depend upon this." And this, too, was con- 
firmed by a beaver-skin. 

" As to what you told us of the Owenagungas 
and Magees (New England Indians, at war with 
the colonies), we answer thus : We were never so 
proud and haughty as to begin a war without just 
provocation. You say they are treacherous rogues. 
This we cannot help. You say also that they will 
undoubtedly help the French. Let them do this, 
brothers; let them but join your enemies, either 
French or Indians, and we will kill and destroy 
them like wild-cats in the woods." A fourth beaver 
was given to confirm all this. 

The Mohawks afterwards offered five of their men 
to guard the agents home, against any of their Indian 
enemies, who might waylay them ; and a belt of 
wampum was given to confirm this ofter. 

Tahajadoris then continued as follows : " We 
have spoken what we had to say of the war. We 
come now to the affairs of peace. We promise to 
preserve the chain inviolably. We wish that the 
sun may always shine in peace over all our heads. 
We give two belts, one for the sun, and the other for 
his beams." And here two more belts were accord- 
ingly given. 

" We make fast the roots of the Tree of Peace 
which is planted in this place. Its roots reach to the 
utmost of your colonies. If the French should come 
8* 



90 HISTORY OF THE MIDDLE STATES. 

to shake this tree, we should know it by the motioii 
of its great roots, which reach also into our coun- 
try. But we trust that the sachem of Canada will 
not be able to shake this tree, which has been so 
firmly and so long planted among us." Here two 
more belts were delivered. 

Last of all, the speaker desired the magistrates of 
Albany, who were present as spectators, to remember 
what he had said, and then gave them a beaver. It 
seems that they answered, in this case, the purpose 
of witnesses to a deed or treaty ; and the presents 
answered the purpose of pledges or seals. 

The New England agents could not help observ- 
ing, after all this, that these sly savages had said 
not a word about the messengers who had come to 
them from the New England Indians. They now 
desired the orator, therefore, to explain himself dis- 
tinctly upon that point. 

" Wc cannot declare war^^ said he, in reply, 
" against the eastern Indians ; for they have done us 
no harm. Nevertheless, our New England brothers 
may be sure of our friendship. When we took up 
the axe against the French, we did it to revenge 
the injuries they had done us, and not merely to 
please you. We did not so much as acquaint you 
with our intention until fourteen days after our 
army had begun its march towards Canada. But 
the Owenagungas and Magees have done us no 
harm. Brothers ^ we cannot Jight against them." 

My young friends will perceive how very shrewd 



HISTORY OF THE MIDDLE STATES. 91 

these Indians were. One would think, too, that 
they had excellent ideas of justice and fair play. 
They knew it was not right to begin war unprovok- 
ed, and merely to please the English. But they 
were equally careful not to offend the latter by the 
style of their refusal. After the council had sepa- 
rated, therefore, some of the sachems sent a mes- 
senger to the New England agents at their lodgings 
in Albany, desiring to speak with them. 

The agents met them soon after, as they wished. 
The Indian speaker now told them that he had 
something to say which was not proper to be spoken 
publicly in the council. Some of their tribe, he 
said, had an affection for the New England Indians ; 
and there was some danger lest they might discover 
and hinder the designs of the rest in favor of the 
English. He now assured the agents that they 
should look upon the enemies of New England as 
their own enemies. They would send five of their 
young men home with the agents, to guard them, 
and to examine the country of the New England 
Indians. This they always did before making an 
expedition into an enemy's country. *' In a word," 
added the speaker, " your war is our war. We 
will live and die with you." It is very remarkable 
that neither belt nor beaver was given to confirm 
what was last said about these New England 
Indians. 

On the 25th of the month (September), the 
magistrates of Albany had a private conference 



92 HISTORY OF THE MIDDLE STATES. 

with the sachems of the Five Nations, and desired 
to know what measures the latter had resolved upon 
in regard to the war with the French. The sa- 
chems were cunning enough to perceive that the 
Albany people were terribly afraid of the French. 
They had seen so much massacre and bloodshed, 
that their spirits really sank under the dread of the 
approaching war. The sachems, therefore, under- 
took to encourage and cheer them. 

" We have one hundred and forty men," said 
they, " out, skulking about Canada. The French 
cannot attempt any thing without being seen and 
harassed by these parties. If they do attempt any 
thing, all the Five Nations will come to your assist- 
ance. Our brothers and ourselves are one. We 
will live and die together. We have desired one 
hundred men of our brothers at Boston to assist us 
in this neighborhood. 

" We have confidence in a good and just cause. 
The Great Spirit [the name the Indians gave to the 
Deity] knows how deceitfully the French have 
dealt with us. He hath sent us signs in the sky to 
confirm this. We have heard strange noises in the 
heavens. We have seen heads falling down upon 
earth. We are sure, therefore, of the ruin of the 
French. Take courage, brothers ! take courage !" 

Here the whole assembly of the Indians present 
joined in a sort of chorus, singing, and crying out, 
" Take courage, brothers ! take courage !" What 
they said about signs was made up, perhaps, merely 



HISTORY OF THE MIDDLE STATES. 93 

to encourage the Albany people ; or it might be 
that they had seen something which they were su- 
perstitious enough to construe into signs. They 
would be very ready, in this season of excitement 
and expectation of war, to see and hear more than 
at other times. Perhaps it was the " northern 
lights," or some meteor, or shooting stars, they 
had seen, a little more brilliant than usual. 



CHAPTER XIII. 

Some of the Five JVations send Messengers to Albany, to 
invite the English to attend an Indian Council with the 
French. Messengers are sent by the English. Coun- 
cil opens on the 22d of January, 1690. Speeches of 
Sadekanaghtie, and other Sachems. The French 
Messengers go back to Canada disappointed. Tlie 
Council breaks up. Anecdotes. Indian Customs* 

I HAVE now given you, I think, a pretty good idea 
of the mode of an Indian council, and also of an 
Indian treaty, confirmed between New York and 
the New England colonies on one hand, and the 
Five Nations on the other, in June and September, 
1689. We will return, then, to Count de Fronte- 
nac, and the four Indian messengers whom he sent to 
the Five Nations. 

On the 27th of December, of the year just named, 
two Indians came to Albany from the Onondaga 
and Oneida tribes — two of the Five Nations. They 



94 HISTORY OF THE MIDDLE STATES. 

brought several feet of wampum-strings from each 
tribe, by way of credentials, or letter of introduction ; 
and they now gave information, that four of their 
thirteen Indian countrymen, who had been taken 
prisoners to France, had just returned among them, 
with a message from the governor of Canada. 

They added, that in consequence of this message, 
a council of the sachems was appointed to meet at 
Onondaga. They therefore desired Peter Schuyler, 
and some other of their English brethren, to come 
thither, and be present at the council, and advise 
them what to do. They would do nothing, they said, 
but with the knowledge and consent of all who 
were bound in the same chain (or treaty) with them. 
This Mr. Schuyler was mayor of Albany, and a 
major in the New York militia. He had long been 
a very great favorite with the Five Nations. What- 
ever ''Quider" said, as they pronounced Peter, was 
a kind of law among them. They thought nobody 
equal to Quider. 

The messengers said further, that the French 
had sent letters to the Jesuit clergyman who lived 
among the Indians at Oneida ; and that they would 
neither burn these letters, nor suffer the Jesuit, 
or any body else, to open them, till their English 
brothers should have first seen them. 

The Albany people sent three friendly Indians 
only to the council, with instructions, in their name, 
to dissuade the Five Nations from making peace 
with the French. But, a week after, one of the 



HISTORY OF THE MIDDLE STATES. 95 

principal Mohawk chiefs called at Albany, on his 
way to the Onondaga council. He, too, desired 
their advice of the English ; and they now sent 
their public Indian interpreter, and another person, 
to assist at the general meeting. 

When the English messengers had arrived as far 
as Oneida, in the Indian country, they met one 
of the four messengers whom the French had sent 
to the Five Nations, and one who had been in 
France, among the thirteen Indian captives. They 
talked with him privately, and soon found out that 
he had no more love or respect for the French, at 
heart, than they had. He told them astonishing 
stories about the grandeur of the French court, and 
the splendor of the French troops, and many other 
things he had seen in that country ; but he also 
complained bitterly of the ill-treatment he had suf- 
fered himself. 

I think my young friends will be enough interest- 
ed in the singular customs and ceremonies of the 
New York tribes, to wait patiently till I give them 
some account of the Onondaga council. It will 
teach them several new things, I hope ; and, at all 
events, it will enable them much better to understand 
the sequel of the history. 

The council opened on the 22d of January, 1690. 
It consisted of eighty sachems of the Five Nations. 
They assembled, and seated themselves, according 
to rank, in one large room, the English messengers 
having particular and honorable seats reserved for 



96 HISTORY OF THE MIDDLE STATES. 

them, and the French messengers other seats. The 
first who spoke was Sadekanaghtie, an Onondaga 
sachem. He rose, and addressed himself thus to 
the messengers from Albany : — 

" Brothers ! here are four messengers from the 
grand sachem of Canada [Frontenac]. Three of 
them have been prisoners in France. The fourth 
comes from the Praying Indians^ who live at Mon- 
treal [referring to a tribe who had been half- 
civilized and half-christianized, by the French 
Jesuits]. The governor notifies his arrival to us. 
He says he is the Count Frontenac who lived in 
Canada many years ago ; and that he has brought 
back with him Tawerahet, the Cayuga sachem, and 
others of the Indians who were carried to France." 

The speaker then took the belt of wampum in his 
hand, which the French messenger had brought 
from the governor, and holding it up by the middle, 
proceeded thus : — " What I have said, relates only 
to one half of the belt. The other half is to let us 
know, as the messenger says, that the governor 
intends to kindle his fire again at Cadaracqui 
[meaning, to hold a council] next spring ; and he 
invites his children to treat there with him about 
the old chain." 

Adarahta, the chief sachem and messenger of 
the Praying Indians, now rose, with three belts in 
his hand, and addressed himself, as, no doubt Count 
Frontenac had instructed him, to the sachems of the 
Five Nations : *' I advise you to meet the governor 



HISTORY OF THE MIDDLE STATES. 97 

of Canada as he desires. Agree to this, brothers, 
if you would live." Here he gave them a wampum- 
belt. " Tawerahet sends you this other belt," 
added he, *' to inform you of the miseries which he 
and the rest of your countrymen have suffered in 
their captivity. He advises you to hearken to Yo- 
nondio, if you desire to live." 

Yonondio was the name, in their own language, 
which the Indians of Canada gave to Count Fron- 
tenac. ^ As to Tawerahet, my young readers will 
recollect that he was one of the thirteen Indian 
captives in France, whom the count brought over 
with him from that country, and treated with great 
kindness after his return. "This third belt," pro- 
ceeded the sachem, " is from Thurensera, Ohguesse, 
and Ertel, who say by it, to their brethren of the 
Five Nations — ' We have interceded for you with 
Yonondio, and, therefore, advise you to meet him at 
Cadaracqui in the spring.' " 

These three names were those by which three 
French gentlemen of Montreal were well known 
among the Indians. They were in the habit of 
giving names, in this manner, especially to white 
people for whom they conceived an attachment, or 
in whose rank, adventures or character there was 
something remarkable. Thurensera meant day- 
break, and was the name they gave to a Jesuit clergy- 
man who had once lived at Onondaga among them- 
selves. Ohguesse was the Indian word for partridge ; 
and Ertel for rose. 
9 



98 HISTORY OF THE MIDDLE STATES. 

When Adarahta had done speaking, the Indian 
messenger sent from Albany rose, and delivered his 
message, word for word. He had committed it 
perfectly to memory. Not a syllable was omitted. 
While he was speaking, the Albany interpreter who 
was sent with him, read over a paper, on which their 
instructions had been written, lest any thing might 
be forgotten. 

After this, Canehoot, an Indian sachem, stood 
up. He gave the assembly a particular account 
of a treaty made, during the preceding summer, 
between the Senecas and the Wahungas, a tribe 
of Canadian Indians. To this treaty Canehoot 
wished the other four of the Five Nations now to 
agree. He went on to state the proposals of the 
Wahunga messengers, with great accuracy, as fol- 
low. The Seneca sachems had probably taken pains 
to remember them, in the usual way, by the help of 
their sticks, as I have told you was the custom. 

1. "We are come to join two bodies in one." 
The Wahunga messengers had given up two Seneca 
captives, to confirm this article. It seemed to be 
as much as to say, ''Our object is to unite the two 
tribes in the bonds of friendship ; and we give you 
up these prisoners for nothing, to show you we are 
in earnest." 

2, *' We are come to learn wisdom of you Sen- 
ecas, and of the other Five Nations, and of your 
English brethren of New York." A belt was given 
to confirm this article. It seems to be nothing 



HISTORY OF THE MIDDLE STATES. 99 

more than a sly compliment to the Indians and the 
English, meant to wheedle them all into good hu- 
mor, no doubt. I think it quite likely, the Wahun- 
gas had been instructed by Count Frontenac, to 
say all these pretty things. 

3. " By this belt [another belt was here given], 
we wipe away the tears from the eyes of those 
among us whose relations have been killed in the 
war. We wipe away, too, the paint from your 
warriors' faces." This was to soothe their grief for 
those Senecas who had been slain in the wars with 
the Canadian Indians. The last clause alludes to 
the Indian custom of painting their faces when 
they go to war, to make themselves look more 
terrible to the enemy. They bought up a great 
deal of vermilion, in particular, of the English, to 
be used for this purpose. 

4. " We now throw aside the axe, which Yonon- 
dio put into our hands, by this third belt." This 
was very cunningly laying all the blame of the 
war upon Frontenac's shoulders, as if, but for him, 
they should never have thought of such a thing. 

5. " Let the sun, so long as he shall endure, 
shine upon us in friendship." Here a red marble 
plate was given, as large round as a peck measure. 

6. " Let the rain of heaven wash away all ha- 
tred, that we may again smoke in peace." Here a 
large pipe of red marble was given. Smoking to- 
gether was the greatest mark of good-will v/hich 
the Indians could show each other. It was always 



100 HISTORY OF THE MIDDLE STATES. 

done when treaties were made, as it also was when 
they entertained a traveller in their wigwams. 

7. " Yonondio is drunk ; but we wash our hands 
clean from all his actions." This polite article was 
confirmed by a fourth belt. The eighth article 
was in pretty much the same mood : — " Now we 
are clean washed by the waters of heaven. Neither 
of us must defile ourselves by hearkening to Yo- 
nondio." — It is very likely that Frontenac himself 
directed the Wahunga messengers to say these un- 
civil things of him. He knew they would please 
and perhaps deceive the Senecas. 

The last articles were as follow : 9. " We have 
twelve of your nation prisoners, who shall be 
brought home in the spring." 

10. " We will bring you prisoners when the 
strawberries shall be in blossom. At that time we 
intend to visit Corlear, and see the place where the 
wampum is made." 

The Indians distinguish the seasons generally, as 
in this case. They will speak of the time when 
the corn is ripe, or the time of planting it, or when 
the beech-trees are in blossom, or the oak-leaves 
no bigger than a mouse's ear. Corlear meant the 
governor of New York ; and that city was the 
place where, as the Indians thought, much of" the 
wampum," or money, of the English was made. 

After the Seneca sachem had repeated all these 
articles to the assembly, the Wahunga belts, marble, 
and other presents, were hung up in the house, in 



HISTORY OF THE MIDDLE STATES. 101 

full view of all present. They were then taken 
clown again, and distributed among the various 
tribes. Their acceptance was a ratification of the 
treaty with the VV"ahungas. A large belt was given, 
also, to the Albany messengers, as their share. 
I The belt of wampum sent from the Albany people 
was hung up, and then divided in the same man- 
ner. The New England colonies, whom the Five 
Nations called Kinslion (a fish), had likewise sent 
the wooden model of -djish to this council. This 
was a token of their adhering to the general cove- 
nant. The wooden fish was now handed round 
among the sachems, and then put aside, to be put up. 

After these ceremonies were over, Sadekanaghtie, 
the Onondaga sachem, arose and said, " Brothers, 
we must stick to our brother duider [Schuyler]. 
We must look upon Yonondio [Frontenac] as our 
enemy. He is a cheat." The interpreter was now 
desired to speak what he had to say from the people 
of Albany. 

He told them, that a new English governor 
was lately arrived, who had brought over a great 
many soldiers from England ; that France and 
England were at war again ; and that the New 
England people were fitting out ships against Can- 
ada. He desired them, finally, to make no treaty 
with the French, or, at least, none but at Albany. 
The French, he said, would not keep a treaty, un- 
less it was made at Albany. 

After this, the sachems of the Five Nations had 
9* 



102 HISTORY OF THE MIDDLE STATES. 

a long consultation together. The conclusion they 
came to is expressed in the speech of their orator, 
the next day, in the council. He began with ad- 
dressing the Canadian messengers: "Brothers! 
our fire burns at Albany. We will not go to Cada- 
racqui. We will stick to our old silver chain with 
Corlear. We will raise the axe against Yonondio. 
We are glad to hear good news of our countrymen, 
the prisoners in Canada — hut tell us no lies." 

" Brother Kinshon !" added the speaker, ad- 
dressing the messenger who brought the fish from 
New England, " we hear that you intend to send 
soldiers to the eastward, against the Indians there. 
But we advise you to join with us, and fall at once 
upon the French. They are at the bottom of all 
this mischief Strike at the root. If the trunk is 
cut down, the branches will fall of course. Cor- 
lear and Kinshon, courage ! courage ! You will 
take Quebec in the spring ; and your feet will be 
on the necks of the French." 

After this, they agreed upon the following an- 
swer, to be sent to the governor of Canada. 

" Yonondio ! you desire us to meet you at Ca- 
daracqui in the spring. But how can we trust you ? 
You have cheated us too often. Your council fire 
at Cadaracqui is extinguished. It is put out with 
blood. You must send home Tawerahet and all 
the prisoners first, or we cannot treat with you. 
And you must not think that we have laid down the 
axe. We intend no such thing. Our far-fighters 



HISTORY OF THE MIDDLE STATES. 103 

will continue the war, until the prisoners are all 
returned." 

Such was the result of the council. The Cana- 
dian messengers, finding they could effect nothing 
with all their wheedling and presents, returned 
home disappointed, while the Five Nations remain- 
ed faithful to their treaties with the English. And 
yet they were a jealous and proud people. At this 
very council, the Mohawk messengers, who had 
been sent from Albany, had taken English goods 
with them, to trade away privately among the In- 
dians. This was observed at the council ; and it 
lowered Quider (Schuyler) very much in their 
eyes; for it is exceedingly scandalous among the 
Indians to employ a trader in public affairs. They 
look upon the traders, who come among themselves, 
as liars and cheats. 

Schuyler could not regain their favor without 
clearing himself, by an oath, of having had any 
thing to do with the goods. It seems that the 
Mohawk messengers had refused to take the goods, 
when the owners of them at Albany first pressed 
them to do so. They were at last persuaded, by 
being told that the goods were Schuyler's. This 
was false ; but they supposed it to be a fact, and 
so reported it among the Indians at the council* 



104 HISTORY OF THE MIDDLE STATES. 



CHAPTER XIV. 

The French send an Expedition against the JVew York 
People. How they surprised and sacked Schenectady in 
the JYight-time. Terrible Havoc made of the English. 
Story about Captain Gltn. The Indians condole ivith 
the English for this Loss. Speech of a Sachem. 
War-parties are sent out in Pursuit of the French. 

The French at length came to the conclusion 
that the surest way of being rid of the Five Nations 
would be to send expeditions against their allies, 
the English. In the winter of 1G90, therefore, not 
long after the Oneida council, of which I have just 
given some account, France and England being 
now at war, a war-party was sent out against New 
York. It consisted of one hundred and fifty French 
bush-loppers, or Indian traders, guided by as many 
savages of the half-civilized tribe called the Praying 
Indians. 

They were commanded by Monsieur De Herville. 
This gentleman had proposed to make his first 
attack upon Albany; but the Indians persuaded 
him to march for Schenectady, something over fif- 
teen miles to the north-west of that place, and about 
as far from the villages of the Mohawk tribe. The 
Praying Indians, who acted as guides, were familiar 
with the situation of Schenectady, where they had 
often visited ; and they, therefore, felt more at home 



HISTORY OF THE MIDDLE STATES. 105 

in attacking this place, than in marching against 
Albany. 

The Schenectady people were at this time in 
perfect security. They had received some hints, 
in an indirect way, of the intended expedition from 
Canada; but they considered it impossible for men 
to march so many hundreds of miles through the 
snow, without tents, and with no provisions but 
such as they might carry in their knapsacks and 
pockets. 

The very evening before the assault upon Sche- 
nectady, they received information that Indians, and 
rather suspicious looking ones too, had been seen 
skulking about the outskirts of the town. But this, 
thought they, was no wonderful thing. There were 
always many friendly Indians living and hunting in 
that neighborhood. It was foolish to be frightened 
before they were hurt. So careless were they, in 
fine, that not a single man among them thought of 
undertaking to keep watch over night. 

Meanwhile, the French had arrived in the 
immediate neighborhood of the town, where they 
lay encamped and concealed in the woods. But 
they had had a hard time of it. They had been 
twenty-two days on their cold and hungry march 
through the wilderness from Montreal. Indeed, 
they were reduced to such extremities when they 
reached the place just mentioned, that they had 
thoughts of surrendering themselves prisoners of 
war to the people of Schenectady. They held a 



106 HISTORY OF THE MIDDLE STATES. 



1 



council for the purpose of deciding this very ques'- 
tion. But, just at that time, their scouts, who had 
straggled about near the village for some hours, un- 
known and unsuspected by the English, returned 
with such accounts of the carelessness of the people, 
that the French determined immediately upon the 
assault. 

It was on Saturday night, at eleven o'clock, that 
they entered the gates of the town, which were 
found unshut. That every house might be attacked 
at the same moment, they divided their force into 
parties of six and seven. The inhabitants were in 
profound sleep : not a sound was heard throughout 
the unfortunate town, but now and then the crowing 
of a cock, or the baying of a watch-dog. 

The doors of every house were burst open at 
almost the same instant, and the enemy rushed in. 
The houses, barns and sheds were fired at the same 
time, and the whole village was soon in flames. 
No tongue can express the horrors of the scene. 
Men, women and children were massacred in cold 
blood, without mercy. Infants were taken by the 
feet, and their brains dashed out upon the posts of 
the doors. 

Sixty persons were murdered in this ferocious 
manner, and twenty-seven others were carried off 
prisoners. The rest of the population fled, naked, 
to Albany, through a deep snow, which fell that 
night in a terrible storm. As many as twenty-five 
of these poor fugitives lost some of their limbs in 



HISTORY OF THE MIDDLE STATES. 107 

this flight through the woods, by the severity of the 
frost. The Frencli returned to Canada, but not 
entirely unpunished. One hundred of the Mohawks 
pursued them, fell upon their rear, and killed and 
captured twenty-five of their number. 

At the time of this horrible massacre, one Captain 
Alexander Glen lived by himself, on the side of the 
river opposite Schenectady. He was the most noted 
man in that neighborhood. He had several times 
treated the Canadians with kindness, especially 
several of them taken captive by the Mohawks, and 
by them condemned to be burned. These he had 
ransomed and saved. Partly from gratitude, it may 
be hoped, and partly, no doubt, from motives of 
policy, the French determined to spare this man. 
On the night of the massacre, therefore, as they 
entered Schenectady, they passed Glen's house 
without disturbing him. Observing, the next 
morning, that he had fortified his dwelling, and 
stood upon his defence, some of them went to the 
river-side, and shouted to him, saying he should 
fear nothing. They persuaded him even to visit 
the French commander, De Herville, who after- 
wards restored to him all his relations who were 
still prisoners in Canada. 

Some Mohawks also were found in the village ; 
and these were dismissed in the same civil manner. 
The French wished that nation, and the other Five 
Nations, to believe that no war was intended 
against them, but only against the English. But 



108 HISTORY OF THE MIDDLE STATES. 

in this attempt to wheedle the Mohawks, they were 
unsuccessful, as we have just seen. This appears 
also from a speech which some of their sachems 
made to the Albany people. They visited that 
place immediately after the massacre. They found 
the English settlers there so alarmed and disheart- 
ened by the fate of Schenectady, and the dread of a 
similar assault on themselves from Canada, that 
they had resolved to leave Albany for ever, and re- 
move to New York. The sachems found them 
actually packing up their goods and furniture, with 
this view. They then addressed them in the follow- 
ing manner : — 

" Brothers ! the murder of our friends at Sche- 
nectady grieves us as much as if we ourselves had 
suffered; for we are all bound together by one 
chain. The French have not acted, on this occa- 
sion, like brave men. They have acted like thieves 
and robbers. Be not discouraged, therefore. We 
give this belt to wipe away your tears. 

" Brothers ! we lament with you the death of our 
brethren. But it cannot be called a victory of the 
French. It is but a new proof of their deceit. 
Yonondio sent us messengers to talk of peace ; but 
war, even then, was in his heart. He has now 
broken open our house at both ends, formerly 
in the country of the Senecas, and now here. But 
we hope to be revenged of them. One hundred of 
our bravest young men are in pursuit of them. 
They are brisk fellows, and will follow the French 



HISTORY OF THE MIDDLE STATES. 109 

to their very doors. Not a man in Canada shall 
dare to step out of his house to cut a stick of wood. 
But now we gather up our dead to bury them." 
Here a second belt was given. 

" Brothers ! be not discouraged. We are strong 
enough. We find your house here [meaning the 
council-house at Albany] polluted with blood. All 
the Five Nations have heard of this ; and we are 
come to wipe away the blood, and to clean the 
house. We come to invite Corlear and duider, and 
every one of you [naming over the chief men of 
Albany], to be revenged of the enemy. The whole 
house [all the country] have their eyes fixed upon 
you at this time, to observe your behavior and follow 
your example. Take heart, brothers ; take heart. 
Do not pack up and go away. The French would 
laugh at you. As for ourselves, we are of the race 
of the hear ; and the bear, you know, fights to the 
last breath. We must all be bears." 

Here another belt was given. Several other ar- 
guments were used, and other presents delivered, 
which I need not repeat. We cannot but admire 
the firm and manly friendship of these savages. 
They adhered more closely to the English, in their 
present adversity, than they ever had done in better 
days. It is worthy of remark, in this place, that 
the Five Nations, in the whole course of their his- 
tory, have maintained this reputation of constancy 
and good faith. 

They adhered to their promise of harassing the 
10 



110 HISTORY OF THE MIDDLE STATES. 

French. The latter, throughout Canada, were in 
terrible fear of them all the summer. A party of the 
Indians even dared to land upon the island of Mon- 
treal itself They were discovered by the sentinel 
of a French corps of soldiery, which happened to 
be encamped on the island ; but they killed the 
French commander and twelve of his men before 
they retreated. Another party of Indians carried 
off fifteen prisoners from a Canadian settlement 
called Riviere Puante. This party was pursued, 
and, finding they were likely to be overpowered, 
they murdered their unfortunate prisoners, and 
escaped. 



CHAPTER XV. 



The Five JVations invade Canada. The English also Jit 
out an Expedition against Montreal. Defence of that 
Place by the French. Battle between the English, 
French and hidians. Second Battle. Other Anecdotes 
of the War. Hunting Beaver. Another French Inva- 
sion of J^eio York. Result of it. The Indians invade 
Canada again, under Black Kettle. 

These continual incursions of the Indians at 
length obliged Count Frontenac to station all his 
troops on the south side of the river St. Lawrence, 
as a defence against this restless and inveterate 
enemy. Notwithstanding that movement, however, 
five Canadians were carried away, in sight of Fort 



HISTORY OF THE MIDDLE STATES. Ill 

Sorel, by a small skulking party. These were 
soon after recovered by the soldiers of the garrison. 

About the same time, other parties were burning 
the plantations about a Canadian town called St. 
Ours. At another time, a French officer, with 
thirty-eight men, surprised some Indians in a hut 
which they had set up for a temporary shelter near 
Lake St. Pierre. Some of them escaped, and gave 
the alarm to their companions in two neighboring 
huts, which the enemy had not discovered. The 
French were now attacked in their turn ; and the 
captain, lieutenant and half the men were killed. 
The Canadians dared not even plough or plant in 
their opp"^ fields ; and the consequence was a 
famine. 

They were much alarmed, too, by an incursion 
of the English into Canada, under Major Schuyler, 
or Quider, as the savages still called him. He was 
still so much a favorite with them, that half of the 
three hundred men in his party were Mohawk and 
other Indians, the rest being English. He set out 
from Albany about midsummer (1690). On his 
march, as he was busily preparing his canoes to 
pass Corlear's Lake, on his route to Canada, he was 
discovered by some French Indians, who immedi- 
ately fled for Montreal, and gave the alarm there. 

M. De Callieres was governor of that town at this 
period. He at once set about preparing to give 
Schuyler a warm reception, by drawing all the 
militia and regular troops of the neighborhood tO' 



112 HISTORY OF THE MIDDLE STATES. 

gether, for the defence of the town. It was fortu- 
nate for him that a great many Indians of the Utta- 
was tribe were at this time trading at Montreal. 
Callieres artfully undertook to engage them in his 
service. He made a great feast for them, and 
entertained them in person. Then, after the Indian 
manner, while the eyes of all this grim and savage 
assembly were turned upon him, he began the war- 
song of the Uttawas. 

He then led up the dance, with a battle-axe in 
his hands, shouting and singing in the Indian style. 
After these ceremonies were over, and the Indians 
enlisted in his service, he crossed the river with his 
own troops, amounting to 1200 men. The Uttawas, 
the Praying, and other Indians, followed him. 
Among the rest was the famous Tarawahet, who 
had been, long before this, entirely gained over by 
the caresses and kindness of Count Frontenac. The 
whole party encamped on the south side of the river 
St. Lawrence, at a place called Magdalen's Prairie, 
and around a fort which stood on a rising ground, 
between two meadows. 

Meanwhile, Major Schuyler, having left forty 
men behind him to guard the canoes in which he 
had crossed Corlear's Lake, was now marching on 
at a rapid pace. He at last arrived at a long and 
narrow glen, or hollow, leading into the first mead- 
ow mentioned above, without yet being discovered 
by the French. Marching under cover of this 
glen, silently as possible, in the night, he fell sud- 



HISTORY OF THE MIDDLE STATES. 113 

denly, with his three hundred men, upon the French 
militia. They were confused by his sudden attack, 
and not less so by the horrible yells of the Indians 
who were with him. 

Many of the militia, and of the Uttawas, who were 
near them, were slain on the spot. The rest fled to 
the French fort. Schuyler pursued them, and as- 
saulted the fort very briskly, but was obliged to 
retire, by the approach of the regular troops, who 
marched up to relieve it. Schuyler now found that 
the enemy were too many for him. He had ascer- 
tained, too, that a considerable body of them had 
marched southward. He began to apprehend that 
his retreat might be cut off by his canoes being 
found and destroyed. He resolved, therefore, im- 
mediately to follow this party. He overtook them 
by a few hours' march, when, they entrenching 
themselves behind some large fallen trees, he 
attacked them with great spirit, and forced a pas- 
sage through their ranks, sword in hand, though 
with considerable loss. 

By their own account, the French lost, in these 
two actions, more men than Schuyler's whole force 
consisted of Among the killed were two captains, 
six lieutenants and five ensigns, Schuyler's Mo- 
hawks suffered much, having seventeen killed and 
eleven wounded. These Indians signalized them- 
selves by their bravery in all these skirmishes. They 
yielded not an inch of ground upon any occasion 
10* 



114 HISTORY OF THE MIDDLE STATES. 

until the English set the example of retreat. The 
whole party reached Albany on the 11th of August. 

During the following fall and winter, the war was 
continued with various success. Two Indian pris- 
oners taken at La Prairie, in Canada, by the French, 
were given up to the Uttawas, and by them burnt 
alive. It was generally supposed that this took 
place at the instigation of the French. Their ob- 
ject was to make still more inveterate the hatred 
already existing between the Uttawas and the Five 
Nations. 

Forty Mohawks made an assault, soon afterwards, 
upon Fort Vercheres, near the St. Lawrence, and 
carried off twenty Canadians captive. The alarm 
soon reached Montreal, and M. De Crizaei, with 
a hundred men of the regular French troops, pur- 
sued the Indians, and recovered most of the pris- 
oners. 

Soon after this, Count Frontenac was informed 
that a considerable party of the Five Nations were 
hunting beaver on a neck of land between Lake 
Cadaracqui and Lake Erie. He resolved to show 
them that war-time was no time for hunting. He 
sent three hundred men to surprise them, under the 
command of M. Beaucour, a young French gentle- 
man. The Praying Indians of Montreal joined the 
party. This expedition being during the winter, 
they were obliged to undergo terrible sufferings. 
They marched upon the snow with snow-shoes, — a 
very lojig, wide, flat article, made chiefly of light, 



HISTORY OF THE MIDDLE STATES. 115 

tough wood, — which kept them from sinking and 
plunging in the drifts. 

Their provisions they carried on their backs. 
Several of them had their feet frozen. This obliged 
fifteen of them to return, with some old Indians 
who could not bear the fatigue of the march. It 
was with much difficulty that Beaucour could per- 
suade the rest to proceed farther. Day after day, 
and night after night, for hundreds of miles, they 
kept on, over river, and mountain, and swamp, and 
forest. They came up with the hunting Indians at 
last, and completely surprised and overpowered 
them; eighty of the latter being killed, after a very 
brave defence ; and three women were made pris- 
oners. With these the French returned to Montreal. 
A few of their straggling small parties marched, 
soon afterwards, towards Albany. They did no 
mischief but to kill two or three solitary English 
settlers, and to alarm the neighboring country. 

In the summer of 1G92, the trade which the French 
had carried on up the lakes with the French settle- 
ment at Michilimackinac, was entirely broken up by 
the war-parties of the Five Nations investing Cada- 
racqui river, by which the Indian traders were in 
the habit of passing to and fro. Captain La Noue, 
with a detachment of regular troops, was sent from 
Montreal early in the season, to guard the traders 
through this passage. He found the enemy at the 
Falls of Calumette, a little sooner and a little stronger 
than he expected ; and so the valiant captain con- 



116 HISTORY OF THE MIDDLE STATES. 

suited his own disposition and the safety of his men, 
by turning about as quickly as possible, and making 
the best of his way back to Montreal. 

The captain had, however, no sooner reached 
that town, than he was ordered to march off again 
in precisely the same direction, and with the same 
purpose as before. He went, accordingly, as far as 
the river Du Lievre, ninety miL.s from Montreal ; 
but there discovering several canoes of the Five Na- 
tions, the captain's heart failed him again, and he 
marched home once more with his men. The lat- 
ter seemed to be perfectly willing to submit to his 
orders : they were not much braver than himself. 

The duatoghie and other Indians now informed 
the French of another and smaller river running 
into Cadaracqui river, from the northward. By this 
stream they said a passage might be made to the 
lakes ; and this it was resolved to attempt, although 
it was farther round than the other, and dangerous, 
on account of many more rapid falls. Three offi- 
cers, with thirty soldiers, were sent with the traders 
for this purpose ; but a party of the Five Nations 
meeting with them at a deep fall in the river, they 
were all killed or taken but four, who escaped back 
to Montreal. 

A large party of the Five Nations, under the com- 
mand of Black Kettle, a famous warrior, continued 
a long time at and about Cadaracqui river, in hopes 
of meeting with other French parties, in their pas- 
sage towards Michilimackinac; but finding that no 



HISTORY OF THE MIDDLE STATES. 117 

attempts were made that way, he resolved to make 
an excursion into the country about Montreal. The 
French writers say he had six hundred men with 
him; but this is rather doubtful. 

No doubt he had a large party ; and he overran 
Canada like a torrent from the mountains. Through- 
out the country, the soldiers had orders to stand on 
the defensive within their forts. After Black Kettle 
had thus ravaged and burnt every thing before him 
for some weeks, M. De Vaudreuil pursued them, 
at the head of four hundred men, and overtook and 
surprised them. The Five Nations fought desper- 
ately, but were jEinally obliged to retreat, by forcing 
themselves a passage through the ranks of the enemy 
around them. They lost twenty men killed upon 
the spot ; and five men, nine women and five chil- 
dren, prisoners. The French lost four officers and 
several privates. 

The Five Nations avenged themselves, in some 
degree, for this defeat, by attacking a French vessel 
on the river St. Lawrence. The captain of it had 
been sent to guard vessels from Quebec to Montreal. 
He was returning, when the Indians set upon him 
with their canoes, boarded his vessel, and killed 
himself and most of the crew and troops who were 
with him. 



118 HISTORY OF THE MIDDLE STATES. 



CHAPTER XVI. 

How Governor Frontenac revenged himself against the 
Five JS/'atwns, by burning two Indian Prisoners. Dis- 
tress of the Canadians. Another French Expedition 
against the Mohawks. They surprise one of the 
Mohawk Forts. Take Possession of another after a 
Battle. The Mohawks enraged against the English. 
The English pursue the French. Anecdotes of this 
Expedition. Result of it. 

Count Frontenac had no better way to console 
himself, it seems, than by condemning two prison- 
ers of the Five Nations to be burnt ahve in pubhc. 

The Jesuit clergymen of Montreal, and many 
other persons, more humane or more politic than 
himself, interceded for the poor Indians, but in vain. 
" It has become necessary," said the enraged and 
mortified old governor, " to make such an example 
as may frighten these horrible enemies of ours. We 
have shown them but too much indulgence already. 
They ravage our plantations under our very eyes, 
and advance to the very gates of our towns. They 
think that they run no risk but that of being made 
prisoners ; and this, say they, is no risk at all ; for 
they live better among us, as captives, than they do 
in their own country, as freemen. They must be 
burnt, and they shall be." 

And burnt they were, accordingly. The Jesuits 
wore humane enough to undertake to reason with 



HISTORY OF THE MIDDLE STATES. 119 

the poor wretches about believing in the Christian 
religion, as their only consolation in death. But the 
Indians would hear nothing. They thought it im- 
possible that any thing good or true should be taught 
them by a Frenchman ; and they began to prepare 
for death, in the manner of their own nation, by 
singing their death-songs. 

Some charitable person threw a knife into their 
prison, through the iron grates of the windows. 
With this one of them despatched himself The 
other was led out to the place of execution by the 
Christian Indians of a place near Montreal, called 
Loretto. He walked calmly and firmly, to all ap- 
pearances, as ever martyr did to the stake. He 
continued singing even while they were torturing 
him. He was a warrior, brave and without fear, 
he said ; the most cruel death could not move him 
to a groan; his comrade was a Coward, and a scan- 
dal to the Five Nations, for having killed himself 
for fear of pain. And he had the comfort to re- 
flect furthermore, he added, that he had made many 
a Frenchman suffer as he did then. The French 
Indians tried their utmost arts of torture upon him; 
but he continued to sing, and laugh at them, until 
his senses left him entirely from excess of suffering. 
The Indians very generally endure sufferings of 
every kind with astonishing fortitude. 

But Frontenac soon found that he must do some- 
thing more than this to raise the spirits of the people 
of Canada. The torture of two miserable wretches 



120 HISTORY OF THE MIDDLE STATES. 

gave them but slight comfort, while the enemy Ir 
fested the country to such a degree, that no man 
dared to go unarmed from his house to his well or 
spring for a pail of water. He therefore planned 
an expedition against the Mohawks ; and, to sur- 
prise them the better, he chose the winter-season 
for the purpose. 

The body of the French designed for this expe- 
dition was put under three captains of the regular 
troops, and thirty subalterns. It consisted of picked 
men of the regular troops, the common militia of 
Canada, the Praying Indians, the Quatoghies of 
Loretto, and of other Indians who joined them from 
the district of Maine. They amounted in all to 
six or seven hundred men, well supplied with all 
sorts of ammunition, provisions, snow-shoes, and 
such conveniences for carriages as could be used in 
deep snow and close forests. These were chiefly 
a kind oi' light sledge, made of skins, and drawn by 
large dogs on the frozen snow. 

They set out from Magdalen's Prairie on the 
15th of January, 1002. After having endured 
what might have been thought insurmountable hard- 
ships, they passed by Schenectady, at some dis- 
tance from it, on the 8th of February. At this 
time, an Englishman who had been taken captive 
when that village was sacked, escaped from the 
French party, and gave the people of Schenectady 
warning of their numbers, and the direction in 
which they were marching. An express was im- 



HISTORY OF THE MIDDLE STATES. 121 

mediately despatched to Albany, with the same in- 
telligence. 

There the militia were mustered together as 
fast as possible; and a lieutenant, with fifty-five 
troopers, was sent to Schenectady to defend that 
place. But no care was taken to give the Mohawks 
notice, which might have been easily done by send- 
ing a messenger up the south side of the Mohawk 
river, while the French were continuing their 
march down on the north. By dusk, on the night 
of the 8th, the French reached the first Mohawk 
castle or fort. In this, there were but five men as 
a garrison, and a few women and children, all in 
the utmost security. These were captured ; and 
this fort, and a second one, of about the same size, 
readily taken possession of by the French. 

They then marched on to the next Mohawk fort, 
which was the largest. On reaching it about mid- 
night, they heard some noise, which led them to 
suspect they were discovered. It was occasioned, 
however, by a war-dance of the Mohawks in the 
fort, forty of them having determined to start off 
upon some enterprise the next morning. The 
French approached, and silently surrounded the 
fort. Finding the Indians entirely oif their guard, 
they opened the gate, and entered without being 
discovered. 

But, notwithstanding the confusion which the In- 
dians were thrown into by this sudden entrance, 
they resisted bravely, and thirty of the French party 
11 



122 HISTORY OF THE MIDDLE STATES. 

were killed during the struggle. The French 
would have put all the prisoners to the sword in cold 
blood ; but even their own Indians would not suffer 
such an atrocious massacre, and they gave quarter. 
Three hundred Mohawks were taken, of whom 
one hundred were warriors. 

Schenectady being the nearest English settle- 
ment to the Mohawks, and but a short distance 
from their nearest fort, many of the tribe were 
always at that village. Some were there at this 
time ; and intelligence soon reached them of the 
havoc the French were making in the Mohawk 
country. They were exceedingly enraged, that 
the Schenectady people had given them no warning 
of the approach of the French. The English sent 
scouts upon the rear of the invaders, to learn their 
proposed route ; but these scouts returned to Sche- 
nectady without doing their duty, and the measure 
only served to increase the resentment of the Mo- 
hawks at that place. They were angry, too, be- 
cause no assistance had been sent to the Mohawk 
tribe. 

The account soon came to Albany, how much 
these Indians were enraged by the conduct of their 
English allies. Their old friend "Quider" (Peter 
Schuyler) immediately offered to set off with what- 
ever force could be got ready for their assistance. 
He marched to Schenectady in less than one day, and 
sent out scouts from that place to discover the route 
of the enemy. They brought him intelligence, 



HISTORY OF THE MIDDLE STATES. 123 

that the two first forts were taken ; then that they 
heard a great noise in the direction of the third ; 
and, finally, that the third was taken, garrison and all. 

Schuyler had now mustered about two hundred 
and fifty English soldiers. He waited a day or two 
for the Mohawks to join him. This they did on 
the 15th of the month, with about three hundred 
men and boys, very poorly armed, and in fact a 
mere rabble. He now began his pursuit of the 
enemy. On the 16th, he was informed by a strag- 
gling Indian, who pretended to be a deserter, that 
the French had built a fort in a place where they 
designed to wait for him, and fight him. Schuyler 
now halted, and sent an express back to Albany, for 
a reinforcement. He very soon found out, however, 
that the Indian had deceived him. The French 
had sent him, in the character of a deserter, mere- 
ly to frighten and delay the English party. 

Schuyler now pressed his pursuit of the ene- 
my, and overtook them on the 17th. As soon as he 
came in sight of them, he was saluted by three loud 
shouts, which his own party answered with as much 
noise. His Indians, however, were a little startled 
by the force of the French ; and they began to 
intrench themselves by felling trees for a sort of 
breastwork. The French perceived this, and 
sallied out to prevent it; but they were beaten 
back. The Indians then fell to work again, call- 
ing loudly upon the English to assist them. 

This request was complied with, but in such con- 



124 HISTORY OF THE MDDLE STATES. 

fusion and haste that the English themselves were 
in danger from the falling trees. The French now 
came upon them a second time, with their whole 
force. "The English run !" shouted they; "the 
Mohawks run ! Let us cut them off. Let us get 
their provisions." But they found themselves rath- 
er mistaken in their calculation. The English and 
Mohawks left their breastwork, leaped actively over 
the fallen trees, and gave their assailants such a re- 
ception, with their hatchets, axes, clubs, and what- 
ever else was near them, that the enemy soon gave 
up all thought of the " provisions," and fled like a 
pack of foxes. 

Whether they grew more courageous, or only 
more hungry, they soon came on a third time ; but 
they were now treated still worse than before, the 
Mohawks soon bringing in many of their heads and 
scalps. When the skirmishing was over, Schuyler 
sent a second express to Albany, for a reinforce- 
ment of troops and a supply of provisions, some of 
his men having had nothing to eat for two days. He 
then secured himself under the cover of fallen trees, 
and kept out watches to observe the French. 

On the 18th, a cold, stormy day, he was informed 
by a deserter that the French were marching off. 
It was no easy matter to pursue them, or to discover 
their tracks on the snow, in such weather ; but the 
English officers were ordered to follow them, and re- 
tard their march as much as possible until the rein- 
forcement should arrive. All of the English sol- 



HISTORY OF THE MIDDLE STATES. 125 

diers, however, refused to march without provisions, 
excepting sixty. These, with a body of Indians, fol- 
lowed the French till night, when they began to se- 
cure themselves by fortifying their camp. 

Forty of the English and a hundred Indians were 
left to observe them ; and the rest returned. On 
the 19th, the provisions, with about eighty men, ar- 
rived. Every man, as he was served with provis- 
ions, now marched off towards the enemy. The 
front-guard soon came up again with the French 
rear, and would have attacked them, to retard their 
march, but that the Mohawks were averse to fight- 
ing. The French purposely dropped several of their 
prisoners, who told the Mohawks that the French 
were resolved to put all the prisoners to the sword 
if they should be attacked. 

The enemy passed the north branch of Hudson 
river on a collection of broken ice, which lodged 
there very opportunely, a recent thaw having opened 
the stream both above and below. The weather 
was nov/ so cold, and the Indians so tired of the 
pursuit, that Schuyler was obliged to abandon it on 
the 20th. He had lost four of his English soldiers, 
and as many of his Indians, besides wounded. The 
French lost thirty-three killed, four of whom were 
officers (as the deserters told him), and twenty-six 
wounded. Fifty of the Mohawk prisoners, too, 
were recovered. 

Schuyler might have gone farther, perhaps, but 
his force was near famishing, their provisions having 
11 * 



126 HISTORY OF THE MIDDLE STATES. 

almost wholly failed them. The Mohawks fed upon 
the bodies of the French who were killed. It is said 
that Schuyler himself, m going the rounds of his 
camp one night, was invited by some of the Mohawks 
to eat broth with them. He accepted their invitation, 
to please them. They gave him a plate of broth, and 
he ate it. They then put the ladle into their kettle, 
over the camp-fire, for more. The meat in it was a 
man's hand ! Schuyler immediately rose and vv alked 
off, sick and shuddering with horror. The French 
were reduced to the same extremities before they 
reached Canada. They were obliged even to boil 
and eat their shoes. 



CHAPTER XVn. 

Account of the Indian Mode of Travelling and Encamping 
in the Winter. Indian Council at Albany in 1693. 
Presents given to the Mohaivks by the English. 
Another French Expedition in 1696. How the Troops 
travelled through the Wilderness. A Seneca deserts 
from their Army. How Governor Frontenac ivas car- 
ried in a Chair. An old Indian burned and tortured. 
Resxdt of the Expedition. Anecdotes. 

My young friends may wonder how it was possi- 
ble for men to march hundreds of miles through the 
wilderness, while the ground was every where covered 
with snow, two or three feet deep, and perhaps 



HISTORY OF THE MIDDLE STATES. 127 

more. The foremost of the party always marched 
in the snow-shoes I have described to you, and so 
beat a fine smooth track for those that followed. 
At night, when they halted, they dug a hole in a deep 
drift, throwing the snow up all round, but highest 
on that side from which the wind blew. This hole 
was dug large enough to contain as many men as 
could lie about a large fire, which was made in the 
middle. The frozen ground round it was covered with 
small green branches : and here, it is said, a man 
might lie much warmer than any one would imagine 
who never tried it. The Indians of the present day 
often accommodate themselves, on their winter jour- 
neys, in much the same manner. 

The Mohawks were exceedingly mortified and 
depressed in spirits by the last successes of the 
French. Indeed, the English were fearful that a 
peace might now be effected between the Five Na- 
tions and the French. They sent for the former, 
therefore, in July, 1693, to meet them at Alba- 
ny, for a council. Here Mr. Fletcher, who was 
governor of New York at this time, did his utmost 
to soothe and encourage them ; but his most effectu- 
al argument, and one which entirely persuaded them 
of the propriety of adhering to the English, was a 
present of ninety guns, eight hundred and ten pounds 
of powder, eight hundred bars of lead, a thousand 
flints, eighty-seven hatchets, four gross of knives, 
and a great quantity of clothing and provisions. 

All this, he told them, came from the king and 



128 HISTORY OF THE MIDDLE STATES. 

queen of England (William and Mary), who desired 
to renew the league with them. They were de- 
lighted with the presents, and readily consented to 
renew their old league. Their orators expressed 
the gratitude of the tribe in the following strong 
language : " Brother Fletcher," said they, *' we roll 
and wallow in joy, by reason of the great favor the 
mighty king and queen have done us, in sending us 
these things in our greatest need." 

The war was continued for two years between 
the Indians and the French, with various success. 
In September, 1695, Fletcher met them again, and 
gave them new presents. Among the rest were a 
thousand pounds of powder, two thousand pounds 
of lead, fifty-seven fusees, a hundred hatchets, three 
hundred and forty-eight knives, and two thousand 
flints. 

A year after this, the Count de Frontenac deter- 
mined to make one more resolute and vigorous at- 
tack upon the Mohawks. With this view, he as- 
sembled all the regular troops of Canada, the militia, 
and the warriors of eight or ten Indian tribes, from 
Maine and various sections of Canada. This was 
in June, 1696. He left La Chine, on the south side 
of the Island of Montreal, on the 4th of July. 

The only method of travelling, for such an army, 
through the wilderness, and over lakes and rivers, 
was in bark canoes, or very light batteaux. These 
may be easily carried on men's shoulders, where 
the stream of a river becomes too rapid to navigate 



HISTORY OF THE MIDDLE STATES. 129 

them. Such places are consequently called carry- 
ing-places or portages. The count divided his five 
hundred Indians in such a manner that the greatest 
part of them should always be near the front-guard, 
which consisted of two battalions of regular troops. 
This body was commanded by Callieres, governor 
of Montreal. He had with hnn two large batteaux, 
which carried two large pieces of cannon, some 
small mortars, grenadoes, and the utensils of the 
artillery. Frontenac was at the head of the main 
body, consisting of four battalions of militia. 

The rear, which was composed of two battalions 
of regular troops, and of the rest of the Indians, was 
commanded by the French Chevalier de Vaudreuil. 
All the Indians had French officers set over them. 
In this order, the army marched on, day after day, 
except that those who were in the van one day 
were in the rear the next. A number of Indians 
were kept always on the scout, to discover the tracks 
of the enemy, for fear of ambuscade. Whenever 
they were obliged to carry the canoes, and drag the 
large, loaded batteaux, several parties were detach- 
ed to cover the men engaged in this business. I 
give you all these particulars, that you may entirely 
understand the nature of these expeditions of which 
I have told you so much. 

After twelve days' march, the party I have just 
described reached Cadaracqui fort, one hundred 
and eighty miles from Montreal. They then crossed 
over Cadaracqui lake to Onondaga river (now 



130 HISTORY OF THE MIDDLE STATES. 

Oswego). This river being rapid and narrow, they 
ordered fifty men to march on each side of it, to 
prevent their being surprised. The rest of the army 
moved slowly along the river, according to the intel- 
ligence they received from the scouts. They found 
a tree, as they passed along, on which the Mohawks 
had painted the French army, in their manner, and 
had laid by it two bundles of cut rushes. 

This was a defiance in the Indian style ; and the 
number of rushes gave them notice that 1434 men 
would meet them. The French passed the little 
lake between Oswego and Onondaga in order of 
battle ; and the two wings, to prevent their being 
surprised, and to make the place of their landing 
more secure, took a circuit around the two extrem- 
ities of the lake by land. As soon as all had arrived 
at the landing-place, they raised a fort. A Seneca, 
who had been some time a prisoner in Canada, was 
sent out as a scout. He deserted to the Onondagas, 
whom he found waiting for the French, with a res- 
olution to defend their castle, and to fight the 
French. With this view, they had sent away their 
women and children. 

The Seneca told them that the French army was 
as numerous as the leaves of the trees ; and that 
they had machines which threw balls up in the air, 
and which, falling on their castle, burst to pieces, 
and spread fire and death every where. Against 
these, said the Seneca to the Onondagas, your fort 
and your stockades can be of no defence whatever. 



HISTORY OF THE MIDDLE STATES. 131 

All this was confirmed by another Seneca deserter. 
They had confused but awful ideas, it seems, of the 
bombs and grenadoes of the French. The horrible 
story which they told the Onondagas about them 
frightened the latter so much that they concluded 
to retreat, leaving their fort and their bark cottages 
all in flames. 

After Frontenac had received an account of these 
circumstances, he marched to their village in order 
of battle. The army was divided into two lines. 
The first was commanded by the Chevalier de Cal- 
lieres, who placed himself on the left ; the second 
by Vaudreuil. The artillery went between these 
lines. The old Count Frontenac, now in his seven- 
ty-third year, was carried behind them in a large 
easy chair. It was impossible, indeed, to preserve 
this order exactly in crossing the brooks, and 
wading through the deep swamps of the woods ; but 
nearly in this order, the French army marched up 
to the smoking and desolate village of the Ononda- 
gas. Here they were bitterly disappointed to find 
no enemy and no spoils. Not a living being was 
to be seen. There was nothing even to be de- 
stroyed but a large field of Indian corn. The 
militia, and the Indians in particular, made a val- 
iant attack upon this, however, for want of better 
business ; and the corn was laid low in a short 
time, a part of it being despatched on the spot, and 
the rest taken captive. 

An Indian sachem, about one hundred years old, 



132 HISTORY OF THE MIDDLE STATES. 

was at last found in the village. He alone, of all 
his countrymen, had disdained to flee. " I will stay 
here," said he : " I have lived long enough : I will 
not save the short residue of my life by a base 
flight. Leave me to teach these Frenchmen what 
a man is, and how an Onondaga warrior can die." 

The French Indians now had the pleasure of tor- 
menting him ; but he bore every thing with the 
most wonderful composure. He told his tormentors 
to remember his death well when his countrymen 
should come to take terrible vengeance upon them. 
At this, one of them was so irritated as to stab him 
several times with his knife. " I thank you," said 
the old sachem, with a sneer of contempt ; " but 
you had better make me die by fire. These French- 
men might then learn how to suffer like men. You 
Indians, their allies ! you dogs of dogs ! think of 
me when you shall suffer the same tortures." The 
savages could not endure these taunts, as the old 
sachem well knew ; and they soon despatched and 
relieved him. 

The Chevalier Vaudreuil was now sent to destroy 
the corn of the Oneidas. This service was not 
disagreeable to his troops ; and they soon performed 
it without meeting with the slightest resistance, 
either from the corn or the owners of it. Thirty- 
five of the Oneidas remained in their village, to 
compromise and make friends with the French; 
but they met with the success they deserved for de- 
serting their countrymen. The French carried 



HISTORY OF THE MIDDLE STATES. 138 

them all off captive to Canada. To the latter, the 
Onondagas gave no little trouble on their return. 
They followed them closely, and cut off every canoe 
which happened at any time to be at a distance 
from the main body. And thus ended this expen- 
sive and laborious expedition of the French, the 
last one undertaken during the war. Peace was 
declared the same season. 



CHAPTER XVIII. 

The early Settlement of Delaware by the Swedes. How this 
Settlement came to be made. Where it was made, and 
when. Account of the first Expeditions of Emigrants. 
About the Delaware Indians, and their Dealings with 
the Swedes. About the natural Productions of the 
Country. Other Anecdotes of the frst Settlement. End 
of the Delaware History. 

I DARE say my young friends are weary enough, 
by this time, of the wars and treaties of the Five 
Nations. I shall leave the history of New York, 
therefore, and give you some anecdotes of the early 
settlements of Delaware, to which, indeed, occa- 
sional allusions have already been made. 

The first colony planted in this state came over 
from Sweden. The scheme of the enterprise was 
first formed in that kingdom, in the year 1626, un- 
der the reign of the celebrated Gustavus Adolphus. 
It was much forwarded by the great commendation 
12 



134 HISTORY OF THE MIDDLE STATES. 

which William Usselin, an eminent Swedish mer- 
chant, gave of the country in the neighborhood of 
what was then called, as we have seen, New 
Netherlands, and of all the neighboring district. 
He had been in America himself. 

Considerable sums were raised by contribution in 
Sweden ; and, the next year, a number of Swedes 
and Finlanders came over to America. They first 
landed at Inlopen, the interior cape of Delaware 
Bay, — the outer cape of the same bay, in Fenwick's 
Island, being called by the Swedes Henlopen, as it 
is to this day. From the very pleasant appearance 
of Inlopen to them, on their first landing, they named 
it Paradise Point. They are said to have bought 
of the Indians all the land from this point to the 
falls of the Delaware river. To this river they gave 
the name of New Swedeland Stream. 

They lived many years in perfect amity with 
the savages, making presents to the sachems, and 
holding conferences and councils with them from 
time to time. They met with some little trouble 
now and then from the Dutch of New York, as I 
have intimated in my sketches of the latter prov- 
ince. In 1630, the Dutch were so bold as ya^ 
build a fort within the Capes of Delaware, at the r 
place now called Lewistown, but then, and for some 
time after, Hoerkill. But they so far agreed with 
the Swedes, notwithstanding this encroachment, as 
the latter considered it, as to unite with them in 
expelling all other trespassers or intruders. The 



HISTORY OF THE MIDDLE STATES. 135 

English, among the rest, had now begun to settle 
near or upon the east side of the Delaware. 

The Dutch were complained of by the English, 
on the other hand, as, indeed, might have been 
expected. " They endanger all his majesty's adjoin- 
ing countries (said an English writer soon after the 
time now in question), most wickedly, feloniously 
and traitorously, contrary to the laws of all Chris- 
tians, selling guns, powder, shot and ammunition to 
the Indians, by wholesale ; and instructing them, 
moreover, in the use of arms." It was said of the 
Swedes, too, that they even hired out some of their 
soldiers to the Susquehannock Indians, to teach 
them the Swedish methods of fighting, and the man- 
agement of fire-arms. 

Delaware is described by the same ancient and 
quaint writer just quoted. Having seen it himself, 
he seemed to consider it one of the most perfect coun- 
tries on the globe, — the soil rich, the streams and 
rivers abundant, numerous beautiful islands off the 
coast, and the climate the healthiest in the world. 
Then, we are told, the country was covered over 
with fine woods. *' It was replenished with excel- 
lent timber for ships and masts. In all parts of it 
grew mulberries, sweet cypress, cedars, pines and 
fir trees, several sorts of grapes, excellent for wine 
and raisins, and the greatest variety of choice fish, 
fruit and fowl." 

Then the uplands were covered, many months of 



136 HISTORY OF THE MIDDLE STATES. 

the year, v/ith berries, roots, chestnuts, walnuts, 
beech and oak mast (nuts and acorns). As might be 
expected from such an abundance of good things, 
we are told that turkeys and hogs ran wild in the 
woods, hundreds together. The Indians within or 
near the limits of Delaware were supposed to 
amount to about eight hundred. They, however, 
gave the settlers but little trouble. They went naked 
and unarmed, for the most part, and were exceed- 
ingly afraid of the guns and pikes of their civilized 
neighbors. 

The writer above referred to furthermore adds, 
that he saw an infinite multitude of bustards, 
swans, geese, and other fowl, covering the shores. 
In the interior was " the like multitude of pidgeons 
and store of turkeys." Of the latter, he found one 
which weighed forty-six pounds. This was a mon- 
strous fellow, indeed, and must have furnished him 
sufficient provisions, one would think, for a week. 
Then there was plenty of excellent sea-fish, and 
shell-fish, and whales and grampus. " The woods 
were bestrewed many months with chestnuts, beech- 
nuts, and other things to feed them; and hogs, 
that would increase exceedingly." 

It was justly thought an additional privilege in 
the situation of this territory, that twenty-four 
hours' sail, with a fair wind, would carry a vessel 
either to Virginia, or to the nearest parts of New 
England. It was impossible, on the whole, but 



HISTORY OF THE MIDDLE STATES. 137 

that the first settlers should have lived like princes, 
at least in regard to both the quality and quantity 
of their provisions. 

In this respect, like the settlers of Pennsylvania, 
they had a great advantage over the settlers of 
New England and Virginia. The Delav/are In- 
dians, moreover, brought them large quantities of 
'* Indian corn," at a shilling a bushel "in truck." 
In truck means in barter. The Indians took their 
pay, generally, in knives, needles, beads, blankets, 
paint, old coats, old kettles, and other things of the 
same kind. Our writer's glowing description of 
Delaware, and the neighboring country, concludes 
with the following address to a nobleman in Eng- 
land, for whose information, particularly, it was 
written : "If my lord will come over here with 
three hundred men, he may do very well, and grow 
rich. It is a most clear, delightful air ; and such 
pure, wholesome springs, rivers and waters ; with 
so many varieties of several flowers, trees and for- 
ests for swine ; so many fair risings and prospects, 
all green and verdant ; and Maryland, a good 
friend and neighbor, within four-and-twenty hours, 
ready to comfort and supply." 

Perhaps I may give you some anecdotes of the 
subsequent settlements in Delaware. They were 
less interesting, however, than the first, and less is 
known of them. As Delaware is a small state, I 
shall not be expected to dwell so much upon it as 
upon the others. You will remember I have 
12 * 



138 HISTORY OF THE MIDDLE STATES. 

already mentioned, in the history of New York, 
how the Dutch conquered the Delaware Swedes in 
1656, and how, eight years afterwards, the English 
conquered the Dutch. 



CHAPTER XIX. 

The first Settlement of Maryland owing to the Exertions 
of Sir George Calvert. Some Account of Calvert. 
Anecdotes. He commences a Colony at JVewfoundland, 
in 1621. Progress of it. Abandonment of it. He 
visits Virginia. Hoio the Virginians treated him. 
Visits JVewfoundland again. Gets a Charter of Mary- 
land. Why the Province was so named. Death of Sir 
George. The Settlement commenced by his Sons. 

The first settlement of Maryland was owing to 
the exertions of Sir George Calvert, an English- 
man and a papist. Under King James, he was 
one of the principal English secretaries of state ; 
and, either by that monarch, or his successor, 
Charles L, he was created " lord baron of Balti- 
more," in Ireland, as some reward for his loyal ser- 
vices to the crown. One of these services, it is 
said by some writers, consisted in his efforts, on a 
certain occasion, to bring about a match between 
Prince Charles and a royal princess of Spain. 

It may not be true, but he is also said to have been 
one of those whom Count Gondemar, the Spanish 
ambassador, engaged, by means of presents and 



HISTORY OF THE MIDDLE STATES. 139 

pensions, to make King James favorable to the 
marriage of his son just mentioned. This is not 
unlikely ; and it shows, if true, that Sir George was 
among the most influential of the courtiers. 

I will mention the well-known fact here, that the 
count bribed the ladies of the court, or, at least, all 
the leading characters among them, excepting Lady 
Jacobs. She, upon his passing by her windows, 
in his chaise, instead of answering his salutations 
as usual, only gaped. She did the same again the 
next day ; and the count then had the curiosity to 
ask the reason : " / have a mouth to stop," said 
she, " as loell as other ladies.''' He took the hint, 
and made her a handsome present. Owing to the 
general unpopularity of their tenets, the Catholics 
were as uncomfortably situated in England, during 
this reign, as the Puritans, whom I have given 
some account of in my History of New England. 
Calvert availed himself, therefore, of his remaining 
favor, to procure a grant of land, and a permission 
to colonize it, in America. His first attempt was 
made in 1621, at a place called Ferryland, a harbor 
on the eastern coast of Newfoundland. Here, 
under Calvert's direction, one Captain Wynne 
commenced a Catholic settlement, erected granaries 
and store-houses, and built several dwelling-houses 
of considerable size. 

In the following year, he set up a salt-work, and 
received fresh supplies of stores from England, with 
an additional number of colonists. Such accounts 



140 HISTORY OF THE MIDDLE STATES. 

of the soil and the climate were now sent over to 
the mother country, that Calvert himself had 
thoughts of removing to Newfoundland, with his 
family. He visited the colony alone, as it was, and 
resided there some years. On the whole, however, 
he considered it a spot unfit for colonization ; and 
he now began to turn his thoughts towards Virginia, 
where a colony had settled at Jamestown, in 1607. 
Of this country a great deal was said about this 
time ; and, in 1628, Calvert determined to visit it. 

He landed at Jamestown. The good people of 
this place, and especially the civil authorities,, seem 
to have been rather more jealous of him as a Catho- 
lic than they chose to be hospitable towards him as 
a stranger. Immediately on his landing, the latter 
ordered the oaths of " supremacy and allegiance" to 
be tendered to him and his followers, as a condition 
of his remaining in the colony. But, like stanch 
Catholics, they all refused to take the oaths; and the 
Jamestown people could do nothing but refer the 
matter to the privy council of the king, in England. 
It was quite doubtful if they had a right to tender 
them as they did. 

At all events, a good and sincere Catholic, like 
Lord Baltimore (as he was now called), could not 
conscientiously submit to them. He considered the 
pope to be the supreme head of the Christian church ; 
but the oath of supremacy required him to acknowl- 
edge the king of England to be supreme governor 
of all his dominions, in all " ecclesiastical things or 



HISTORY OF THE MIDDLE STATES. 141 

causes," as well as temporal, or civil and political. 
Indeed, Pope Urban VIII. had issued a " bulle" or 
proclamation, only two years before, to the Irish 
Catholics, exhorting them " rather to lose their lives 
than to take that wicked and pestilent oath of su- 
premacy, whereby," he said, "the sceptre of the 
Catholic church was wrested from the hand of the 
vicar of God." Thus that worthy pope had the 
modesty to style himself. Pope Paul, in 1606, had 
also forbidden the Catholics to take the oath of 
allegiance (to the king as sovereign). 

Whether Lord Baltimore visited Maryland at this 
time, I do not find that historians determine. It 
seems likely, however, that he made the tour, by 
water, of the principal parts of the Chesapeake Bay. 
The English had made no settlements yet, or, at 
least, no permanent ones, in that region. The Vir- 
ginians had only traded with the Indians at the head 
of the bay, though possibly they had built trading 
houses on some of the islands. The Swedes and 
Fins, as I have told you in the last chapter, had set- 
tled at Paradise Point, and afterwards at Wilming- 
ton, in Delaware, about the same time when Lord 
Baltimore visited Virginia. 

He is also said to have visited his colony at New- 
foundland twice after this, within a year or two. 
During the second visit, which was in 1629, France 
and England being then at war, he was so fortunate 
as to perform some considerable services, in recov- 
ering twenty sail of English ships, which had been 



142 HISTORY OF THE MIDDLE STATES. 



1 



taken by a French squadron. He captured also 
several of the enemy's fishing ships, on the New- 
foundland coast. In 1630, he returned to England 
to procure a grant of territory upon the Chesapeake, i 
where he now determined to plant a new settlement, f 

He was still in favor with King Charles, on ac- 
count of his ancient services to his father, King 
James. It was not difficult, therefore, to procure 
almost any grant which he chose to ask for. But 
before a patent could be adjusted, his lordship died, 
April 15, 1632. Of several of his sons, the patent 
was made out for the eldest, Cecilius, who now as- 
sumed his father's title. It was intended that the 
country granted by this charter should have been 
called Crescentia ; but when it was presented to the 
king for his signature, he desired that the province 
might be called Maryland. This was in compli- 
ment to his queen, Henrietta Maria, a daughter of 
the great King Henry IV., of France. 



HISTORY OF THE iMIDDLE STATES. 143 



CHAPTER XX. 

First Expedition of Emigrants to Maryland, in 1633. 
Arrive at Point Comfort. Ascend the River Potomac. 
Meet with Indians. Anecdote of Captain Fleet. 
Indian Chief goes on board the Vessels. Settlement 
made at St. Marfs. Stories aboid the Indians. About 
Governor Hairey, of Virgiiiia. About the King of 
Pcduxent. Prosperity of the Colony. 

The young Baron of Baltimore immediately set 
about preparing for the establishment of the pro- 
posed colony ; but, instead of going to America 
himself, he employed his brother, Leonard Calvert, 
to go in his stead, as governor of the colony. The 
number of colonists was about two hundred. Some 
of the principal men among them were gentlemen 
of fortune. Most of them were Roman Catholics. 
They sailed from Cowes, in the Isle of Wight, on 
the 2i2d of November, 1633. 

Taking the old route, by the Azores and West 
Indies, they touched at St. Christopher's and the 
Barbadoes. Here they staid for some months, 
probably for the purpose of timing their arrival 
in the Chesapeake, at the most favorable sea- 
son of the year for colonizing in that climate. 
It was as late, therefore, as February, 1634, 
when they arrived off Point Comfort, in Virginia. 
Here, in consequence of recommendatory letters 



144 HISTORY OF THE MIDDLE STATES. 

from the king, which he had with him, Calvert was 
treated much more hospitably by the Virginians 
than his father had been before him. 

On the 3d of March, he proceeded as far as the 
river Potomac. Sailing up forty miles, they came 
to an island called Heron Island, and anchored un- 
der another neighboring isle, to which they gave 
the name of St. Clement's. Here the governor 
landed ; and, setting up a cross in the Roman 
Catholic manner, took formal possession of the 
country, — " for our Saviour, and for our sovereign 
lord, the King of England." For the purpose of 
making discoveries, the governor left his ships here, 
and taking two pinnaces, proceeded about four 
leagues, and landed on the south, or Virginia side 
of the river. The Indians every where fled from 
him in great fear. 

He ascended the river as far as an Indian town 
called Potomac Town. This was probably near 
what is now called Cedar Point, or Pickav.'axen 
creek, in Charles county, Maryland. The chief, 
called in their language, the wei'owance, being an in- 
fant, the territory of this tribe was governed, in his 
minority, by his uncle ; and this old sachem, named 
Archihan, received the strangers in a very friendly 
manner. From this place they ascended the river 
more than fifty miles to Piscataway. There they 
found many Indians assembled, and among them 
an Englishman, Captain Henry Fleet, who had lived 



HISTORY OF THE MIDDLE STATES. 145 

there several years, in great esteem with the sav- 
ages, and perfectly satisfied with his situation. 

Through Fleet's influence, the chief of this tribe 
was prevailed upon to go on board the governor's 
pinnace. The latter asked him if he was willing 
that he and his people should settle in the Indian 
country, in case they found a place convenient for 
them. " I will not bid you go," answered the chief; 
" neither will I bid you stay ; but you may use your 
own discretion." The Indians on shore, finding 
that the chief staid on board longer than they ex- 
pected, anxiously crowded down to the water side to 
look after his safety. They were afraid the English 
had killed him ; and they were not satisfied till he 
showed himself, to appease them. 

The governor inferred, from the cautious answer 
of the old chief, that it might not be advisable for 
him to settle so high up the river. He wished, 
also, to be nearer the sea-coast, and more accessi- 
ble, of course, to ships arriving from England. He 
returned down the Potomac, therefore, as far as 
Clement's Isle, taking Fleet with him. He soon 
afterwards sailed up a small river, some dozen 
miles or more from the mouth of the Potomac. 
This he named St. George's river. He found an 
Indian town on its banks, called by the savages 
Yoamaco. The tribe at this place is supposed to 
have been one of the confederacy subject to King 
Powhatan (the greatest chieftain of all the Vir- 
ginian Indians), and afterwards to his successors. 
13 



146 HISTORY OF THE MIDDLE STATES. 

The governor landed here, entered into a con- 
ference or treaty with the werowance, and ac- 
quainted him with the cause of his coming. The 
Indian answered quite briefly and shrewdly, not 
wishing to encourage a settlement among them. 
But he hospitably invited the governor to his cabin, 
entertained him as kindly as he could, and at night 
gave him his own bed to lie upon. The next day 
he showed him the country. 

The governor now determined to make the first 
settlement at this point. He sent orders to his ship 
and boats to come to him. In order to a peaceable 
admission into the country, he presented the wc- 
rowance, and other chief men of the town, with 
some English cloth, axes, hoes and knives. These 
they accepted with pleasure, and freely consented 
that he and his company should dwell in one part 
of their town, reserving the village alone for them- 
selves. Those Indians who inhabited that part 
which was assigned to the English, readily aban- 
doned their huts to them. 

The natives further agreed to leave the whole 
place to the English, as soon as they could gather 
their corn. This promise they faithfully performed. 
It was further stipulated, that, until that time, the 
two people should live in a friendly manner togeth- 
er. If any injury was done on either side, the party 
offending was to make satisfaction, upon demand 
of it. 

On the 27th of March, 1634, the governor caused 



HISTORY OF THE MIDDLE STATES. 147 

his settlers to land, according to the agreement 
with the natives. He took possession of the town, 
and named it St. Mary's. A circumstance is said 
to have occurred at this time, which very much 
facihtated the treaty with the Indians. The Sus- 
quehannocks, savages who lived about the head of 
the bay, were in the practice of making incursions 
on their neighbors, chiefly for the sake of plunder. 
The Yoamacoes, through fear of these fierce ene- 
mies, had, a year before Calvert's colony arrived, 
resolved to desert their habitations, and remove 
higher into the country. 

Many of them were actually gone ; the rest were 
preparing to follow them, about the time when the 
English arrived. The latter came in good season, 
therefore, to encourage and defend them. The 
first thing the governor caused to be done, after 
landing, was to erect two buildings ; one for a 
guard-house, and the other for a store-house. 
Others of the colonists were set to work in making 
preparations for the planting of corn. A few days 
afterwards, he received a friendly visit from Sir 
John Harvey, then governor of Virginia. 

While the latter remained at St. Mary's, Governor 
Calvert was visited by several Indian sachems from 
the interior of the country. To please them. Gov- 
ernor Harvey made an entertainment on board his 
ship, then at anchor in the river. The Indian king 
of Patuxent was placed at the table with a good 
deal of parade, between the governors of Virginia 



148 HISTORY OF THE MmDLE STATES. 

and Maryland. This gratified him much ; but an 
accident occurred, which threatened to destroy the 
pleasure of the feast : a Patuxent Indian, coming 
on board, and seeing his king thus seated, started 
back, and refused to enter the cabin. 

He imagined, it seems, that the king was con- 
fined by the governors as a captive. He would 
even have leaped overboard in his terror, had not 
the king himself come to him. The old Indian 
soon convinced him that none of the party were in 
much danger from the good cheer of the English. 

The store-house being finished, it became neces- 
sary to unload the ship, and bring the stores on 
shore for the use of the colony. This the governor 
ordered to be done with as much solemnity as pos- 
sible. He thought that doing it with pomp and state 
would impress the simple natives with a respect for 
the English. The colors were brought on shore, 
and the colonists all paraded under arms. Volleys 
of musketry were fired ; and these were answered 
by discharges of cannon from on board the ship. 
The two kings, of Patuxent and Yoamaco, being 
present at this exhibition, with a multitude of other 
Indians about them, the former took occasion to 
advise the Yoamaco Indians to be careful in keep- 
ing their treaty with the English. They heard him 
with attention ; and no doubt the scene and the ad- 
vice together had a salutary effect upon their feel- 
ings and conduct. 

The king of Patuxent remained at St. Mary's 



HISTORY OF THE MU)DLE STATES. 149 

several days after this. It is related that, when he 
took his leave, he made a somewhat remarkable 
speech to the governor : — " I love the English so 
well, that though they should go about to kill me, if 
I had so much breath as to speak, I would com- 
mand my people not to revenge my death ; for 1 am 
certain the English would not do such a thing, if 
it were not for some fault or crime of my own." It 
seems that the hospitality of the governor, together 
with what the old sachem had seen and heard among 
the settlers, had made him their firm friend and de- 
termined ally. 

And such he continued. The English and Indians 
lived together at St. Mary's, according to their stip- 
ulation at the first conference. And they lived in 
the utmost harmony. The natives went every day 
to hunt with the new-comers, for deer and wild tur- 
keys. Whenever they caught or killed one, as they 
did much more frequently and easily than the Eng- 
lish, they either gave it to them, or sold it for some 
such trifle as a knife or a string of beads. They also 
brought in abundance of fine fish. As a still more 
certain mark of the entire confidence they reposed 
in the colonists, their wives and children became, 
in many cases, quite domesticated and at home in 
the English families. 

This colony, on the whole, seems to have pro^ 

pered remarkably well ; and they owed much of 

their success, undoubtedly, to their own prudence. 

They took care to make their first landing, we have 

13* 



150 HISTORY OF THE MIDDLE STATES. 

seen, so early in the year as to allow them abundant 
time for raising corn and erecting habitations against 
the succeeding winter. They had also taken the 
precaution to bring along with them from Barbadoes, 
an additional supply of good Indian corn, beyond 
the flour and bread of their English stores. 

They availed themselves of the friendship of the 
Indians, too, so completely as to obtain the use of 
their cleared and rich corn grounds. The conse- 
quence was such a luxuriant crop, that they are said 
to have exported 10,000 bushels more than they 
wanted to use, during the second season, to New 
England. This was mostly exchanged for salt fish 
and other provisions of the New England colonies. 



CHAPTER XXI. 



Hotv the Land bought of the Indians was divided among 
the Settlers of Maryland. Trouble which Govei-rwr 
Calvert had ivith Captain Clayborne, Occasion of it. 
The Captain's Vessel seized by the Governor. He and 
his Lieidenant tried and condemned for Piracy. The 
Lieutenant hanged. The Captain runs away. Anec- 
dotes. Close of the Maryland History. End of the Work. 

It may be entertaining, as well as useful, for you 
to learn how the lands obtained, as I have told you, 
of the Indians, were afterwards divided among the 
colonists themselves. You must know that what- 
ever was purchased by the governor was purchased 



HISTORY OF THE MIDDLE STATES. 151 

for the use and benefit of his brother, Lord Balti- 
more, for whom he acted on all occasions. He had 
obtained a grant of all Maryland, you recollect, 
from the king, and this gave him a title, it was 
thought, against all the world, excepting the Indian 
occupiers of the land. When their right or claim 
to it was bought up, therefore, it was bought for the 
benefit of Lord Baltimore. 

The purchased lands were to be divided among 
the settlers there, just as he thought proper ; and he 
had made regulations on the subject in England, by 
which his brother, the governor, was now guided. 
Every one of the first adventurers, who should induce 
five other colonists, between sixteen and fifty years of 
age, to settle in the province, during the year 1633, 
was to have a grant of two thousand acres of land, 
" to him and his heirs forever," for the yearly rent 
of four hundred pounds of good wheat. A bushel of 
good sound wheat weighing about sixty pounds, you 
can soon calculate how much the rent amounted to. 

Furthermore, every adventurer who should bring in 
fewer than five settlers, as above, was to have a hun- 
dred acres for himself, a hundred more for his wife 
(if \iQhad a wife), one hundred for every servant, and 
fifty acres for every child under the age of sixteen 
years, for the rent of ten pounds of wheat yearly 
for every fifty acres. All this was to encourage the 
colonists to make efforts for increasing the popula- 
tion of the province. 

With the same view, whoever should transport ten 
settlers from England, or any other country, into the 



152 HISTORY OF THE MIDDLE STATES. 

province, during the years 1634 and 1635, was to 
have two thousand acres of land, for the yearly rent 
of six hundred pounds of wheat, or about ten bushels. 
Whoever should transport fewer than ten, as above, 
was to have one hundred acres for himself, and such 
other allotments for wife and family as I have just 
mentioned. 

If any settler, after the year 1635, should send 
or bring over any other settlers besides himself, for 
every five he was to have one thousand acres at the 
yearly rent of twenty shillings, payable in the com- 
modities of the country. For less than five, he was 
to receive for himself and family as mentioned be- 
fore, with the addition of fifty acres for every maid- 
servant under forty years of age, at the yearly 
rent of a shilling each fifty acres. Lord Baltimore 
thought that some of his young settlers would want 
wives, I suppose, which is not at all unlikely, in my 
opinion. It was proposed, moreover, to give each 
of the settlers who brought or sent over, as above, 
a small lot of land for his own maintenance. 

In consequence of these liberal regulations, the 
St. Mary's colony increased rapidly. Nothing oc- 
curred, for some time, to interrupt their prosperity in 
any considerable degree, excepting a disturbance 
made by one Captain Clayborne. This gentleman 
belonged to the Virginian colony. He had long 
been in the habit of traflicking with the Maryland 
and other Indians on the Chesapeake, even before 
Calvert came over. That business had been lucra- 
tive to him, no doubt, and Clayborne was not very 



HISTORY OF THE MIDDLE STATES. 153 

well pleased, that the Catholic settlement at St. Ma- 
ry's deprived him of the better part of his trade. 

It appears that he and a few of his companions 
had made a settlement upon the island of Kent, in the 
Chesapeake, above St. Mary's, and within the limits 
of Lord Baltimore's charter. This he had done 
before Calvert's arrival, and by virtue of a license 
granted him by King James to trade with the In- 
dians. He now laid claim to the soil of the island 
itself, and also to a territory occupied by a small 
colony which he had fixed at the mouth of the Sus- 
quehannah. Lord Baltimore had received some 
hints, even in England, of Clayborne's probable dis- 
position to make trouble. He had, therefore, direct- 
ed his brother, the governor, that if Clayborne did 
not submit to his government, he should be seized 
and punished. 

He had not yet been taken, but, being incensed 
because Lord Baltimore had obtained a grant includ- 
ing his own unauthorized settlements, he used every 
means in his power to injure the young colony at 
St. Mary's. Among other things, he maliciously 
undertook to create a belief among the neighboring 
Indians, comprising the St. Mary Yoamacoes, that 
the new colonists were Spaniards, and enemies of the 
English in Virginia. It was the easier for him to 
do this, because the settlers being Catholics, their 
religious ceremonies much resembled those of the 
Spaniards. 

The simple natives, at first, gave credit to these 
ridiculous falsehoods. The Yoamacoes even with- 



154 HISTORY OF THE MIDDLE STATES. 

drew suddenly and all together from St. Mary's. 
The colonists were then engaged in erecting com- 
fortable habitations for themselves, in and about the 
town. But, alarmed at this unaccountable change 
in the behavior of the Indians, they ceased working 
on their buildings, and betook themselves to the 
erection of a fort for security. They accomplished 
the work in six weeks. They then returned to 
their several employments, as before. By this time, 
or soon after, the Indians had become sensible of 
the deception practised upon them, and they came 
again, as formerly, to the houses of the colonists. 

Clayborne now resorted to open military force 
in his opposition to Lord Baltimore's government. 
Early in the year 1635, he granted a special com- 
mission, written and signed by himself, to a cer- 
tain Ratcliffe Warren, commonly known as Lieu- 
tenant Warren, to seize and capture any of the 
vessels or pinnaces belonging to the people of St. 
Mary's. In pursuance of this authority, an armed 
pinnace belonging to Clayborne was fitted out, and 
manned by fourteen men. Among them was one 
Thomas Smith, a sort of highwayman-gentleman, 
who appears to have been equal to Warren in audaci- 
ty, though second to him in command. 

Governor Calvert was apprized of this formidable 
expedition. But not yet despairing of the salvation 
of the colony, he immediately equipped two boats in 
much the same manner with Warren's. They sailed 
under the command of a certain Esquire Cornwallis. 
The two hostile armaments met, some time in April 



HISTORY OF THE MIDDLE STATES. 155 

or May, 1635, in the Pocomoke river, on the eastern 
shore of the province. A battle was commenced 
between them, by Warren's men first, on Cornwal- 
lis's boats, as was afterwards said by the latter. He 
returned the fire without much ceremony or delay. 

The result was, that one of his own men was killed, 
and two of Warren's men, with Warren himself 
Clayborne's boat and crew were taken into custody. 
At the first courts of justice established at St. Ma- 
ry's, a year or two after the event, a grand jury was 
impannelled and sworn, and two bills of indictment 
sent up to them, against Clayborne and Smith, for 
" piracy and murder." The former was charged as 
accessary or accomplice in the business, and the 
latter as the principal actor in it. Both were found 
true bills by the jury. 

In consequence, at the next meeting of the Mary- 
land assembly, a " bill of attainder" was passed 
against Clayborne, by which his property within the 
province became forfeited to the lord proprietor. 
He had himself fled, before this, to Virginia. Sen- 
tence was pronounced against Smith, in the follow- 
ing words, by the president of the assembly, sitting 
as a court of justice : — 

" Thomas Smith, you have been indicted for 
felony and piracy. To your indictment you have 
pleaded not guilty ; and you have been tried by the 
freemen in this general assembly, who have found 
you guilty. They now pronounce this sentence upon 
you : That you shall be carried from hence to the 
place whence you came ; and from thence to the 



156 HISTORY OF THE MIDDLE STATES. 

place of execution ; and shall there be hanged by 
the neck till you be dead. And all your lands, goods 
and chattels shall be forfeited to the lord proprietor. 
May God have mercy on your soul !" The unfortu- 
nate ruffian was executed according to his sentence. 

I have observed that Clayborne fled the country. 
But notwithstanding this and the fate of Smith, the 
inhabitants of the Isle of Kent, settled by the former, 
were far from submitting quietly to the new govern- 
ment. Its authority, indeed, was so openly resisted, 
that the governor was finally obliged to visit the 
island with an armed force, to quell and punish the 
refractory inhabitants. From this time they gave 
no more trouble. 

I have now told you, my young friends, all that 
will interest you much in the early history of Mary- 
land. The government went on very smoothly from 
the time of Clayborne's defeat. In 1638, the first gen- 
eral assembly met together, and this was composed 
of representatives chosen from quite a number of 
hundreds and towns in different parts of the prov- 
ince, so rapidly had it already increased. 

I have no more to say at present about the Middle 
States ; but you will permit me, in my particular 
regard for your welfare and good-will, to observe, 
that I shall rely quite confidently on your hearing 
my stories, hereafter, about the States and Ter- 
ritories OF the West. 



BO 



fl 



